


Reality Chronicles (Book 5)

by IntrestsoftheMind



Series: Reality Chronicles Arc 1 [6]
Category: Final Fantasy I, Original Work, Super Mario Bros. (1993), The Legend of Zelda (Video Game 1986)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-12-09 12:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 64,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11669556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntrestsoftheMind/pseuds/IntrestsoftheMind
Summary: With Owen now reachable, Soren, Alice, Gareth and Lily are ready to face him for the final time. With Jarek, Sukia, the twins and Damien all on his side though it won't be easy. But they've come to far to give up, and they aren't ready to see reality reset. Because it's not over yet...not if they can help it.





	1. The Starting Point

We walked through the white void in silence; all we could think about was the fight we were about to have once we reached our destination. I looked back at the others to see all of them were lost in thought, Gareth seemed to have a grimace on his face while Lily looked off sadly…and Alice was moving her gaze from the ground to me occasionally. If I had a choice I would have kept all of them out of it, after everything they've been through I don't want to watch them to get hurt again…but that's exactly why they're here now. After everything we've done for each other it isn't just that they're people I care about, they're people I want to stick by my side because I know they'll be there to help me in the thick and the thin…but I already knew that…but I can still worry. I looked back into the distance to see we were approaching a red vortex; I looked back at the others and they all gripped their weapons as I did the same; this was it. I dashed forward and slashed at the red vortex opening it up; once I saw light I jumped in as the others followed. The light blinded my vision for a moment and the vision of Owen's fortress ran through my head hoping to be ready before my eyes were. When the light died I was shocked to see we weren't at Owen's fortress; we were back in the land of Hyrule, in the very field I woke up in.

I looked around in shock and surprise as the others gasped; everything looked the same as it did when we were here; the forests to the east, the river to the west, and the mountains in the distance to the north.

"Soren-" Alice said standing next to me, "-is this Hyrule?"

"Yeah, this is definitely Hyrule. It's where I woke up even." I replied running my hands through the grass at my feet.

"But why are we back here?"

"Did we take a wrong turn?" Gareth asked looking behind him; probably for the portal we passed through.

"We went straight. I don't think we made a turn." Lily said opening her journal and skimming through it.

"So why are we here?" Alice asked as I stood up and looked around.

"We must be here for a reason…or maybe it's just a stop on our way there?" I said unsure of myself.

"You really need to learn to control where we're headed."

"Hey I can only open up the path. It takes us where it wants us to go."

"So why here? We already saved this place." She's right, we should be done here…so why are we back…maybe something is happening here that we need to do? It's my best guess.

"Come on; let's see if we can't find Link and Zelda." I suggested starting to walk.

"Where are we going to look first?" Gareth asked and I stopped in my tracks unsure of how to answer.

"Hey Alice?"

"Yeah?" Alice replied sounding slightly disappointed.

"Any clues?"

"Jeez…if I were them then there are only two places I can think of they might be. Either the hidden village or the ruins of Kakariko village."

"Why Kakariko?" Lily asked.

"Well, rebuilding a small community like Kakariko village would be a good start to rebuilding Hyrule. It was a small community and therefore would be easy to build again."

"Awesome. Do you know where the ruins of Kakariko are?" Gareth asked and she clammed up with a pensive look on her face making me smile.

"No clue huh?" I said poking her.

"Shut it! I only saw the grave marker, not the town itself." She replied crossing her arms.

"Then let's try the hidden village."

"Alright." With that figured out we moved towards the mountains.

The area still had Gannon's monsters running around but they were much less than the army he had amassed the last time I saw them; they were patchy and less organized but they still had a lot of the wooded area as well as the mountains…meaning we had a few mobs to get through before we reached our destination.

"Alright everyone. Get your weapons ready."

"Ranged or melee?" Gareth asked.

"Your choice." I answered pulling out Twin Soul, "Although this place doesn't exactly have extra rounds."

"I prefer my work up close and personal anyway."

"Okay…go!" Rushing up the mountain path I took a swing at a tektike as it leapt at me; as I swung through it I was shocked to find it didn't poof away like before, instead I was greeted with a splatter of monster blood, "What the…" Shaking it aside I took another swing catching another tektike and lunged forward at the octorock in the side of my field of vision. As I lunged through him I looked around and my eyes locked onto the four rock formation up the cliff side; there it is, "Everyone, get to the four rock formation up there!" They all nodded and I dashed to the side of the cliff. I looked around and watched as Gareth was jumping up the cliff with ease; probably put it into his jumping power. Lily was vaulting with her scythe and Alice caught up to me looking up.

"How are we getting up?" She asked and I thought for a moment…got it. I crouched down and motioned to my back.

"Get on, I know how to get up."

"A-A-A-Are you insane!?"

"Not since I last checked." She sighed before hoping on; once she got a good grip I squatted down and took a deep breath. (Speed x2) As I jumped up we went soaring into the air; once in the air I looked down for my landing spot and once I found it I landed there and kept jumping up until I made it all the way to the top, "Alright, glad that worked." I let Alice off my back and she stepped back looking slightly red.

"So what's up with this place?" Gareth asked leaning against one of the rocks.

"This is where the entrance to the underground is." Lily explained rubbing her hand along the rock. Moving over I pushed the rock out of the way and watched as the ground moved away to reveal the hidden entrance underground; good to see it was still here.

"Come on it's through here." I said motioning as the others followed behind. As the area grew darker and the light faded I looked at Alice who drew her katana with a fire already covering it; she took point and we followed behind as she led us through the twist and turns of the tunnel until we came to a giant room lit by torches. At the far end I could see three tunnels leading out towards different paths; none of them were what we needed though.

"So which tunnel is it?" Gareth asked looking them over, "It's the left one isn't it?"

"No." Alice answered sheathing her sword.

"Oh…the center?"

"Nope." I answered.

"Ah, it's the right one. Should have known."

"No." Lily answered as we a smiled at each other.

"This is just a big joke on me isn't it?"

"A little bit but don't worry." I said patting his shoulder and walking past him towards the bare spot between the left and center tunnels; putting my hand against it I watched as a rune appeared on the wall before the whole thing disappeared revealing a secret tunnel, "Wouldn't be much of a hidden village if it didn't hide."

"I guess…still feel a little left out of the loop." As I passed through the threshold I felt a tingling sensation and watched as Alice and Gareth did the same; Lily approached it but seemed hesitant to step past it, "You okay Lily?" Lily just stood there.

"I'm…a little scared." I think I know why.

"Don't worry." I said, "You're not a monster." Gareth outstretched his hand and Lily reached out to grab it before Gareth pulled her in.

"It…It didn't hurt."

"Why would it?" Gareth asked and she shook her head.

"I…I guess it wouldn't would it?"

"Exactly." I said rubbing her head, "Come on let's head in." As we walked through Alice motioned for me to come next to her in the back.

"Hey…you think they'll recognize her?"

"…No, I don't believe for a second they'll mistake her for Lissa."

"Really?"

"Look at her." We turned around to look at Lily as she was talking with Gareth. I thought back to when I last saw her here…and I saw two completely different people.

"…You're right. She'll be fine, and even if they mistook her we'd clear her name right?"

"Exactly." We continued to walk down the path as our footsteps echoed off the wall.

"…Did you ever think we'd be back here?"

"Honestly…no, I thought we would move on with our lives in our world and that would be the end of it…but as we can see it didn't exactly turn out that way."

"Yeah, we went to the Mushroom Kingdom, Final Fantasy world-"

"We really need a better name for that area."

"-and Remnant. It's been a crazy trip that's for sure.

"Yeah but…I've been thinking for a while."

"About what?"

"About the people we've met and the friendships we've made since everything began. Not just Gareth and Lily but Link, Zelda, Mario, Luigi, Peach and so many more…I think about them and you know what I realize?"

"What?"

"I…kind of want to see them again."

"Is that why we're here?"

"Maybe…but I think it's more than that. These people are our friends, right?"

"Yeah and?"

"Then…it's important to let them in on exactly what's happening."

"Wait, we're seriously going to tell them that someone is plotting to destroy their world!?"

"Yeah…we have to."

"…Alright then…I trust you."

"Thanks Alice. For trusting me…and for sticking by me all this time."

"Come on, I care about you more than anyone Soren. I'm sticking by you through hell and high water got it?"

"Thanks…I owe you so much for everything you've done for me Alice…and I mean it."

"You've been there for me more than I can begin to count Soren. You know what I see when I look in your eyes? Someone who cares, that means more to me than anything, so if you want to repay me then make this promise with me," Suddenly she grasped my hand stopping us just short of the entrance, "Stand by me until the end okay? You do that…I'll do the same for you."…Alice.

"Okay, I promise." I gripped her hand tightly solidifying our promise and looked back into the distance to see a bright light at the end of the path; we rushed towards it and once we came close enough I could see the interior of the village, "Welcome to the hidden village!" I said motioning inside.

I looked around at the bright interior and well maintained shacks and stalls taking in the memories of this place; as we walked around I noticed people beginning to gawk and gasp at us, a few people were even pointing at me and Alice like we were celebrities.

"I think they remember us." Alice whispered to me, she pointed behind us and I looked to see a group of people were following us as we headed for the big tent at the end of the village. I heard Gareth chuckle behind us.

"I see you two made a name for yourselves."

"W-We were rookies back then." I answered and he laughed. Once we made it to the tent I opened the flap and was surprised to see both Link and Zelda locked in a passionate embrace making all of us gawk in shock. Alice cleared her throat and they separated quickly before looking over and rushing to me and Alice.

"Soren! Alice! It's been a while since we last saw you two!" Link said shaking my hand, "Where did you two go?"

"We…went traveling." I answered and he chuckled.

"Well it's good to see both of you…and to see your friends here." He moved over and stretched his hand out to Gareth and Lily, "Nice to meet you two, I'm Link and that's my wife Zelda."

"Hold it!" Alice yelled, "You're wife!? You two got married!?"

"How long we're we gone?" I asked in shock; I definitely wasn't expecting this level of change.

"It has been about a year." Zelda answered, "While things haven't gone exactly as planned we have managed to make things better than they were."

"On our way here I did notice that there were much fewer monsters than the last time."

"While Gannon's forces vanished as soon as he was defeated we've had to deal with the natural monsters that had hidden themselves away before now." Link replied.

"They did bleed and that was weird to see."

"Well we've managed to drive them back to the mountains and deep forests. Our next step is to start building villages around the hidden tunnel entrances."

"Those would be the easiest areas to construct in." Lily said, "You'd be able to keep your supplies safe and keep construction workers safe when monsters attack."

"Yep, I've been training a few of the more capable villagers to take up arms and having them trained. If you have time I can show you what we've been working on."

"…Unfortunately we've got something else to talk about." I said.

"I assumed as much." Link said pointing at my clothing, "You look armed to the teeth; even more than when we made the final assault on Gannon's fortress."

"Yeah…things haven't been exactly easy for us since we were last here." I replied as I scratched the back of my head, "But things have managed to get a lot worse in this past year. For all of us."

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked and I took a deep breath.

"The truth is that we're what are known as travelers. Instead of wandering the world though we wander the various possible dimensions that exist…and the worlds that they exist in." They both gave a surprised gasp, "We've traveled from world to world, stopping someone who has been trying to destroy existence itself and saving those worlds in the process."

"…But he hasn't stopped yet." Alice added, "He's still planning to take out everyone and everything in existence…and he's been manipulating other travelers so he can make it happen."

"…So what are you four going to do?" Link asked.

"We're going to stop him!" Gareth said confidently.

"Well as far as I can tell it's four against an army of brainwashed soldiers…hopefully five will even the odds a bit more."

"Make that six." Zelda said.

"No way, I'm not putting you in a dangerous situation like this."

"Sorry honey but wherever you go I'm going with you. You're not leaving me to be the damsel in distress. So now it's six."

"A-As nice as it is…we can't bring you with us." Lily said.

"Why not?"

"Because it's something only we can do." I answered, "I began to think about it a while back and something very strange kept coming up. The leader Owen is also a traveler but his most used allies were people he met on his first adventure…native to the world they lived in."

"Yeah but what's so strange about that?" Gareth asked.

"Riddle me this. Sukia, the shapeshifter and the Gemini twins were all placed in travelers' bodies; why do you think that was?"

"I thought it was because it made travelers easier to control when you put a different soul in them?" Lily said, "Wasn't that why those other travelers had dead eyes?"

"Maybe for them but why put his friends into traveler bodies?"

"…That…is actually a good question."

"Get to the point please." Alice said.

"I'm pretty sure that people who aren't travelers can't survive the trip through dimensions…or at least their bodies can't."

"Wait…so you're saying that they all were just souls jammed into other peoples' bodies?"

"More importantly-" Lily began, "-it means if we took anyone else with us there's no guarantee, and even more of a possibility that their bodies will be destroyed in the void between dimensions."

"I think it's more they WILL be destroyed." Gareth said, "Only travelers can pass through there. No exceptions."

"Then how is Sukia still passing through?" Alice asked and I thought about it before looking at Lily.

"Maybe it's because she's using a copy of Lily who is a traveler…kind of a grey area in how this works." I answered half sure of what I said.

"So…why come here?" Link asked, "Seems you've got something more important to do."

"Yeah but…I didn't want to leave you guys, or any of my other friends, out of what's happening. So maybe you can't come with us-" I reached into my inner jacket pocket and pulled out a blank scroll handing it to Link, "-but I still want you guys to be a part of this whole thing."

"What's this?"

"Where did you grab that?" Alice asked.

"I…may have grabbed a few scrolls on my way out of Beacon." I answered, "Actually Lily, can you do a connection spell for these scrolls?"

"W-Well I have been working on it. As long as they're made of the same material I can do it."

"Did it come from the same stone?" Gareth asked and I shrugged.

"It doesn't need to anymore. As long as the material make up is the same I can make a connection off of that."

"Sweet. Question withdrawn." Lily pulled out her staff and took a deep breath as she began to glow.

"Connect!" With a bright flash a line was now connecting the scrolls together before dissipating into nothing, "There we go."

"Alright, now just hit this button when you want to communicate and we'll do the same if we need to." I hit the button on my scroll and the one Link was holding began to glow, "Stay in touch when you need us." He gave a nod before putting the scroll in his back pocket.

"You guys be careful to. I'd rather not lose a friend after just seeing them after a year."

"Same." Suddenly the tent flap opened and we turned to see the Gerudo leader standing there.

"I heard a few good friends of ours decided to visit." Before I could reply Alice pulled me by my shirt.

"Portal! Now!" With a nod I slashed at the air and was thrown in as the others followed behind.

"Did we have to leave so soon?" Lily asked, "I would have liked to ask a few questions."

"Let's just keep moving. I'd rather not deal with her."

"Oh well. Let's keep walking then." As we walked I thought about that Gerudo leader trying to remember who she was…oh right!

"She's the woman who smacked Alice's butt! Now I remember!"

'SMACK'

"You just had to remember that didn't you!?" Alice screamed at me as I reeled from the fresh handprint on my face. Huh, she hit the exact same spot the last time she hit me…what are the odds, no wonder it stings like hell.


	2. Revisiting

"Alright, hopefully we're on the right path this time." Gareth said confidently.

"…Define 'path'." Alice asked looking into the white distance for something.

"You know the void between dimensions seem to have a mind of its' own." Lily observed as she poked at something none of us could see, "I didn't even know something was there."

"Should we be jumping into the void then? Seems we could wander for eternity if it chooses to." Alice said.

"Come on, we have to trust that it won't lead us astray." Suddenly a red vortex appeared in front of us, "See, it's helping us out. Thanks void." As I tried to pat the floor my hand went through it sending me tumbling onto the ground I tried to pat, "Okay then…that's a thing." Standing up I dusted myself off and sliced at the red void opening up to another bright light. Stepping through I was greeted to a bright vibrant environment filled with blue skies, green grass…and forty…foot…mushroom trees.

"Might have spoken too soon there Soren." Gareth said putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah…yeah I definitely did."

We walked towards the nearest castle and I was shocked to find we were right outside the Mushroom kingdoms main castle; we must have been transported to the last area thankfully, it would have taken us almost a week to get here and we don't really have the time for that.

"Hey we're back here!" Gareth said excitedly rushing to the main gateway to Toad Town; we followed behind as the guards at the front looked him over before gasping and opening the door for all of us.

"Hmm…this place is doing well." Alice said looking around and nodding. She was right though; the reconstruction efforts of the village had already been completed and everyone looked happy…there were even a few goombas and koopas setting up stalls around the city. We had followed Gareth until we came to the toad orphanage; Gareth approached the door slowly looking slightly hesitant before he put his hand on it and opened it up. The inside looked completely new compared to the last time we were here; the children all looked up in surprise before rushing over to us and cheering and hugging us.

"It's the big man who saved us!" One of the children said jumping up and down.

"Hey little tyke! How have things been since I was here?"

"They rebuilt the orphnamage!"

"It's orphanage." Lily corrected.

"And they said you were the one who told them to do it! Thank you mister tall man!"

"Call me Gareth little guy." I looked at the area finding it

"Hey miss ponytail?" One of the girls said walking up to Alice.

"What is it little girl?" She asked crouching down.

"Do you know mister Gareth?"

"Yes, we're his friends."

"Are you his girlfriend?"

"…No. Not at all. Not in a million years."

"That's cold Alice." Gareth said with a chuckle, "So do you guys know where Mario and Luigi are?"

"They were just here a few minutes ago! They probably went home." One of the kids said.

"Thanks. We should go find them." I said heading for the door.

"I think I'll stay here and hang out with the kids for a while." Gareth said picking up two of the toad kids, "Let's meet up at the castle later."

"I'll stay behind with Gareth to make sure we get to the castle later." Lily said.

"Alright then, we'll see you two later" Alice said waving goodbye as we headed back into the streets, "Pft…Gareth's girlfriend…I don't think I could stomach it."

"Considering your track record with him…you'd probably rip his head off."

"Most likely…she seems to have a handle on it anyway." I looked into the window to see Gareth and Lily playing with the children together.

"Yeah…she does."

After a bit of direction help we found ourselves standing in front of Mario and Luigi's house; about the same condition it was when we were last here…this place doesn't change very much in a year apparently. I knocked on the front door and waited for somebody to answer finding no one was coming.

"I think they're not here." Alice said opening their mailbox, "…Seems they went to a go-kart race at the back of town."

"They started go-karting already?"

"Seems like it…how good is your driving?"

"I...the closest I was to driving was bumper cars."

"Well better than me." She pointed over to a green go-kart next to the house with a large L on the side, "Seems Luigi left his kart here."

"Well then…hopefully we don't crash." I replied stepping into the driver seat as Alice sat behind me, "You better hold on. There's going to be a lot of stopping."

"…Okay?" She has no clue what's about to happen…there's the start button…no that's the windshield wipers, "Oh no."

Gareth

Picking up another kid I tossed him into the air as he smiled and laughed; it was nice to give these kids something they never had…or at least something close to it.

"Higher! Higher!"

"Okay!" Swinging him up I watched carefully as he fell back down and swooped in catching him in my arms, "Alright that's enough. Don't want you hurling out of nowhere before you even get something to eat." Putting him down carefully I felt a tug at my pants and looked to see a little toad girl grabbing my leg, "What's up little miss?"

"Is this you?" She held up a book to my face with a detailed drawing of me, Soren and Alice; I grabbed the book and looked at the title, 'The Koopa Kingdom Invasion' was the title; must be the book about the war that almost happened when we showed up…year 1985?

"What year is it little girl?" I asked and she thought for a minute.

"Um…1986 I think…why?"

"No reason…yeah that's me."

"Wow…what happened?"

"I think your book will give more detail then I can."

"Not true." I looked behind me to see Lily standing there, "A first hand testimony always has more detail than any book…I…I'd also like to hear your side of the story as well. This book only has so much it can tell me." I never thought I would tell a story of my exploits this early on but I guess it's my lot in life…and I get to embellish without Alice shooting me down, this is going to be awesome!

"Alright…then it all started when I was saving puppies from a burning building…" Wait, "Hehe…actually it started out in an orphanage, just like this one…and it all started with an important friend who gave me more chances than I probably deserved."

Soren

Slamming on the breaks I gave a sigh of relief as we were in front of a race track; we finally made it after two U-turns, three circles, five direction checks and one gas refuel…a personal best for my track record!

"Finally." I said feeling Alice smack me upside my head.

"You are NEVER driving again! EVER!"

"That's fair." Stepping out of the kart I moved over to the fencing and watched three go-karts dash past on the track kicking up dust; one was being driven by Mario while another was driven by Peach and the last was driven by Bowser, "Snk…"

"What's so funny?" I pointed to Bowser as he steered wildly in his tiny kart.

"With how big he is it's like watching one of those clowns on a tiny tricycle." I watched as Alice stared at it before giving a small giggle, "You see it." I nudged her and she pushed back playfully.

"…I think I'll give it a try."

"What?" I looked over at Alice but she had already jumped over the fencing and was rushing towards one of the motor bikes; I watched as she hopped on and started revving up the engine before tearing down the track after the other three and I chuckled at her sudden eagerness; she loves the bright sun and outside world more than anyone else I know. I watched as she blew past the other three and I laughed as all of them gave a look of shock followed by the sound of revving engines as they increased their speed to catch up with Alice.

"Where did she come from?"

"I know this is the first race since the treaty but isn't this a bit loose on the rules?"

"She looks cool!"

"Don't point, it's rude!"

"You got this bro! Don't let this new rider get you down!" Various chatter and murmurs continued as the race went on. Alice managed to maintain her place in first for a while as she circled around the track a few times…I never realized how long track races were…especially on a nascar-esq track.

"There you are!" I turned around to see Gareth and Lily approaching us with a group of children following and hanging off them with big smiles on their faces, "We were waiting at the gates for a good hour before we had to go looking for you." Gareth said as he put the kid on his shoulders down.

"Oh, sorry." I replied, "We came here to find Mario and Luigi but found the Princess and Bowser racing with Mario when we got here. Next thing I know Alice jumps over the fence and joined the race on a dirt bike."

"So you guys are having fun? While we're doing important business?" I looked at the children gallivanting around him and Lily and gave a sigh.

"You're joking right?" He chuckled as I asked that.

"Yeah a little. So she's racing?"

"Yep." I leaned back against the fence and watched Alice circle around the track.

"…You know, I told a story to the kids."

"Yeah? What story?"

"A little girl brought me a book and what surprised me was that it was the story of Bowser's invasion of the mushroom kingdom and we were included as part of the tale."

"Wow…didn't expect that."

"Then they asked me to tell them the story from my first-hand experience."

"Did you embellish a little…or a lot?" He chuckled and punched me in the arm.

"I contemplated it and even had a great beginning…but I couldn't go through with it."

"Any reason why?"

"I could play back that story two hundred times and make so many changes that it doesn't even look the same…but is way more exciting…I can't call it our story though…because the original is already a masterpiece."

"You think so?"

"I know so. That story is nothing short of an amazing story to me." …

"It's how I met everyone and how I became who I am now. Even I'll admit that before I was WAY too cocky…but now I've got you guys and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Every moment and experience in that story is too important to me…I don't want to change a thing." He looked over at me with a confident smile, "And that's why I'm not about to lose it. If all of existence goes then so do those moments as well as us…I'm sticking with you until the end, so let's keep these stories alive."

"And make tons more!" I replied grabbing his hand and shaking it.

"Damn right…but first…" He hopped over the fence and immediately went for the other bike putting pedal to the metal as he rode around the track passing everyone including Alice; of course.

"Um…Soren?" I turned around to look at Lily to see the kids were pushing and pulling her around while whining, "Can I get some help?"

"Okay…how bout we get some food?" As soon as I said that they swarmed around me chattering happily, "I'll take that as a yes."

Once I had all the ingredients and a helpful cook book Lily and I were able to make a good meal of Shroom porridge for the kids with a side of juice and bread, once everyone was full I looked to see we still had enough for a few bowls and heard the door to the Orphanage open; Alice, Gareth, Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser all walked in, most with scowls and frowns while others, namely Peach and Gareth, had beaming smiles on their faces.

"Don't tango with the master of racing!" Gareth cheered uproariously.

"I would have won if you had just butt out!" Alice yelled at him.

"Yeah, because we were ecstatic when you joined in randomly." Mario said rolling his eyes.

"Whatever." Bowser added grumbling. Grabbing the ladle I scooped up another bowl of porridge and handed it to Bowser.

"Here, this will help." He grabbed the bowl and slurped it down like a shot glass before giving a long sigh, "…Maybe a bigger bowl would be better for you…but first the others!" I looked over at Lily and she nodded before grabbing the bread and juice as she set up four more bowls; pouring the porridge into each one I handed a bowl to the others and they all dug in as I handed the rest of the pot to Bowser along with the ladle, "That should be enough for his kingliness." He chuckled before he started wolfing down the entire pot.

"So it's been a while since we saw you guys." Mario said wiping the porridge out of his mustache, "What brings you back after a year?"

"Well…it's less coming back and more a passing visit." Lily explained sitting down next to Gareth, "We're just on our way to somewhere and we happened to pass through."

"Pass through is a simple way to put it." Alice said with a sigh, "We can barely control where we go."

"Barely?" Gareth said snickering.

"We get it, not at all!" I said ending the debate on control, "The more important thing is we have got something to tell all of you." I took a deep breath as everyone put their bowls down, "I know it's been a year, but I feel safe to assume you guys remember the travelers that manipulated Bowser's army?"

"How could I?" Bowser said as his hands-…er, claws trembled, "He manipulated my entire army and caused the loss of so many innocent lives…and I know he's still out there…it hurts to think about."

"Don't let it." Gareth said making him look up, "There's more important things to do than focus on revenge."

"He's right." I added, "You've got to keep this world going and keep the peace alive…we'll take care of him ourselves."

"What?" They all said in surprise.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Luigi said beginning to tremble.

"Didn't he send you flying without even having to move?" Mario asked and I nodded, "That seems like a bad idea then."

"Well-" Princess Peach began, "-from what I can tell it seems like this is something only you guys can do." I nodded again feeling my hands tremble slightly, "I haven't known you very long…but you four seem very sure about yourselves…so please…go on."

"…We didn't come for a pep-talk actually." I said, "I'm here because this isn't just something that affects us…it effects everyone in existence…so I'm here to make sure you know the situation at hand."

"What's happening?" Mario asked sounding worried.

"Basically…the end of existence is staring us in the face." Gareth answered, "And it's asking us to show it exactly what we've got."

"And we're willing to answer the call." Lily said confidently, "It's not going to be easy but we have to do it!"

"So you're going to throw your lives away?" Bowser asked and Alice chuckled.

"No, we're not going down that easily." She said confidently.

"…And that's why we're here." I said pulling another scroll out of my jacket, "This item is connected to ours…with it you will be able to communicate with us no matter how far away we get." I placed it into Peaches gloved hand and closed it, "This will keep us connected…because even though you can't come with us, this is as much your problem as it is ours…it's not just the four of us going in there…it's you guys and everyone else we've met as well."

"…Then let's go and take them on." Peach said and everyone else nodded. Suddenly I felt a tug at my pants leg and looked to see all the orphans looking up at us. The four of us crouched down to face them and they held out four small loafs of bread.

"Good luck!" They all said and I felt my face curl into a smile. Grabbing the loafs I tossed one to Alice, Gareth and Lily; taking a bite out of it I felt my taste buds trying to absorb every last piece of flavor and relishing in the fullness of the small piece of bread…it was full of love and care…this world really had a very loving atmosphere when it wasn't in danger.

"Thank you. It's delicious." I said with a smile.

"So where are you guys headed? Out of the kingdom?" Bowser asked and Gareth chuckled.

"You could say that." Pulling out Twin Soul I slashed at the air opening a red portal as everyone in the room gave a shock look.

"That…that is soooo cool!" Peach said as her eyes sparkled, "Where does it lead?"

"Well…out of this dimension." Alice said with a chuckle.

"…Princess I would step away from that if I were you." Mario said and I pulled Peach by her collar away from the portal.

"Boo…"

"Yeah you'd be shish-ka-bobbed down to a soul if you went through there." I said and she jumped back.

"Alright then, let's go." They all nodded as we headed for the portal.

"Um…wait!" Lily said making us stop as she turned to Mario and the gang, "I…I…I want to apologize for everything that happened to you for everything that happened…if I was stronger…I could have stopped it."

"…Wait…you were with the traveler!?" Luigi asked shocked.

"You…you were a part of this whole thing?" Bowser asked looking dumfounded.

"…Yes…but I will do everything in my power to make sure it never happens again…I never want it to happen to anyone else ever again." Lily said as her hands trembled; Gareth reached out and grabbed it making her turn to us with tears in her eyes, "I…I won't let it happen."

"WE won't let it happen." I said and she nodded drying her eyes, "Let's go." With that we all passed through the portal and I turned around to see everyone giving us confident nods.

As we walked through the white void my thoughts were consumed with the adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom...

"Hey Soren?" I turned to see Gareth was talking to me.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask…what are you going to do when we see Owen? I know you don't like needless bloodshed…but at this point-"

"I know Gareth…it's really reaching that end isn't it?" I…I might have to kill Owen…

"So what will you do?"

"…We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." I replied.

"That bridge is just over the horizon."

"…I know…"


	3. Old Friends

"…You suck at this." Alice said as we stood in the open fields of the world of Final Fantasy.

"Tell me honestly if you expected us to get where we were going." I asked and she looked away as Gareth chuckled and Lily giggled, "Look, we're here so let's try to find our friends."

"…What were their names again?" Gareth asked and I thought for a moment…we didn't spend very long with them so their names were a bit fuzzy…it was…the princess, the dwarven blacksmith, the fairy and the sage.

"It was Sarah, Brokkr, Wendy and…sage."

"Can't remember his name?"

"No Gareth, he never gave it to us." Lily answered, "Um, side-note, how are we going to find them?" She had a point…I had no clue where we were or where the Warriors of Light were so finding them was going to be a bit of an issue.

"Hey Lily, do you still have the map from earlier?"

"I should still have it." Lily quickly shuffled through her journal and held the book out for me; it was the early edition before monsters started swarming it.

"Good, we can use this. Let's see…mountains are to our left…and the ocean is to the back of us…which means we're facing north so we're…near the mountain town of Gaia!?"

"That's near the top of the map!" Alice yelled scanning the map hastily, "There's not even a dock near where we are!"

"So we're stranded?" Gareth asked and Alice sighed.

"For the moment, yes."

"How did we end up in the middle of nowhere? We're not that bad at this are we?" Lily asked hastily flipping through her notes. Suddenly I felt a tug at my collar and looked to see Alice was holding me.

"Screw your stupid portals!"

"Gah! Stop!" Releasing her grip I straightened my shirt and looked around; I'm sure we were put here for a specific reason…maybe there was something here that we needed. I scanned the area and saw a small clearing on the grass revealing a path leading to the mountain side in the distance, "Look, someone has been here. They must have found something here at the very least." I started to walk and heard a heavy sigh before they followed behind.

"Just tell me we won't find bones at least." Lily asked.

"Animal, possibly." Gareth said, "Human…iffy."

"Really comforting Gareth." Alice replied sarcastically.

We finally came to the cave side and I was surprised to see a large opening jutting out of the mountain leading into the darkness inside; good something was here…I really didn't want to get hit over a hunch today…everything feels sore anyway. As we walked I took notice of the path we followed and saw a few foot grooves; what was weird was that from what I could tell there were about eight different foot prints meaning there was a big group here…possibly recently to.

"That looks ominous." Gareth said as Alice drew her katana which came out flaming.

"Not as ominous as some of the things we've seen." Alice replied as she stepped into the cave, "Come on let's go farther in."

"Alright, everyone be careful." I said pulling out Twin Soul as Gareth and Lily nodded and pulled out their weapons.

We moved through the cave slowly and walked lightly; my experience in this world was much more hostile than anywhere else we'd been so I had to stay much more alert. Although I was surprised to find a lack of monsters in the world outside…but that could just mean they took up residence in the caves below meaning this area is even more dangerous. I took a deep breath and felt wetness on my brow; wiping it away I was surprised to find I was sweating profusely…now that I notice, it seems hotter than before.

"What the hell? How did it get so hot?" Gareth asked and I looked at the others to see they were also wet…wait. I took a whiff of myself but was surprised to find I wasn't stinking; this wasn't sweat, it was just air moisture…and a lot of it at that.

"Are we in a steam cave?" I asked.

"I…no we can't be." Lily answered turning to me, "It would be a dry heat instead of water vapor."

"Fair enough but then what's causing this?" Alice asked as we all stopped to talk. I took another whiff of the air and smelled something new.

"Hang on…anybody else smell that?" I asked and they all took a sniff.

"It smells a bit salty." Alice answered.

"But also…slightly soothing. It's nice." Lily added.

"Smells like a hot spring." Gareth said bluntly.

"You've smelled a hot spring before?" I asked.

"No but I've smelled hot mineral water. It's basically the same thing right?" Lily nodded in response.

"So we're near a hot spring?"

"If we are then let's keep going. It's a landmark at least." Alice said as she continued to walk.

"It's already a straight path though. Do we really need one?" Lily asked catching up to her.

"Look can we just get there. I'm sick of being lost." Alice said giving up, it's been a long day for all of us so I could understand…still funny to see.

Stepping over the threshold of light we all gasped in surprise at the giant underground hot spring that was splayed out before us; it looked piping hot and was giving off a lot of steam that filled the air. I took a few steps forward and dipped my fingers into the water feeling a sudden relief wash over my fingers, this was definitely a hot spring…but why were we transported to a hot spring in the first place?

"Who's there?" Hearing a females voice I stepped back and watched as a figure came through the misty expanse; when they came into view I saw a girl with gentle eyes and long green hair holding a towel over her body and looking at us with caution, "Wait…Soren!" I took a moment to think and realized that the girl with green hair was Princess Sarah of Cornelia.

"Sarah!?" I said in shock as she dashed at us and gave me a hug.

"I can't believe it's you! It's been too long!" When she let go she looked behind me and gasped, "And you brought Alice, Gareth and Lily too! It's everyone."

"You better believe it. I don't go anywhere without my team."

"Really?" Gareth said giving me a cocky grin.

"Some details are better left unsaid." I said with a chuckle, "So how have you been Princess?"

"Actually, I'm not the princess in this world. I'm just Sarah the wandering adventurer." She replied posing dramatically, "What about you guys?"

"Traveling across realities." Alice replied stepping forward and pushing me behind her, "On a more important note, why are you dressed in only a towel?"…Oh yeah, that's all she's wearing.

"It's a hot spring cavern. We're enjoying the hot springs."

"We?" Lily asked and Sarah whistled loudly before three others came out of the mist; it was Brokkr who only had his head and neck sticking out of the water, the sage who gave us a gentle smile…man he's like ninety percent wrinkles…and a blue haired girl.

"Who's she?" I asked and she jumped forward suddenly shrinking down and sprouting wings…Wendy!

"Already forgot about me?" She asked playfully as she fluttered around my head before growing back to human height and giggling.

"No, just didn't expect you to be able to do that."

"So what's happening?"

"We came by to visit." Lily answered.

"Ay well it seem like ye came at the wrong time." Brokkr said laughing, "We avent even gotten dressed."

"That's okay shortie." Gareth replied looking him up and down, "…I see your rocking a six pack very well.

"Can't be a smither without some muscle."

"Fair enough."

"Hang on…weren't there eight footprints?" Alice asked and the Sage nodded.

"Very perceptive, yes there are four more with us." I looked around finding nobody else nearby.

"Where are they?" I asked and the four of them all gave each other worried looks.

"We'll bring them over, just…don't freak out." Sahrah said before giving a sharp whistle. We all heard the sloshing of water as four more figures came out of the mist…no…no way!

"I-I-It's…them." Lily said beside herself in shock.

"No way…not possible." Gareth said as I heard his feet slide back slightly.

"I didn't see this coming…not by a long shot." Alice said patting my back and bringing me back to my senses. Four people stood in front of us…and not just anyone, it was Kent, Hana, Pent, and Sena…our friends who died in the mirage tower and sky palace.

"Whoa! Who copied us?" Hana asked stepping forward playfully and looking us over, "…Not bad replicas at all…this one is pretty cute too."…Yeah…that's definitely Hana.

"Back off!" Alice yelled getting in between us, "I got enough of this the first time!"

"Woah, calm down Alice. She hasn't done anything!" I said stopping her rampage.

"…You're just too dense for this conversation." She said clocking me in the head out of nowhere.

"So these are clones?" Kent asked stepping forward and looking Alice over, "…You're clone seems colder than you Hana."

"You want your clock cleaned too?" Alice threatened shaking her fist.

"No, they're not our clones." Sena said stepping forward and pushing her glasses up, "Cloning magic is still years off and the technology is even farther than that."

"Alice…I feel we've heard that name before." Pent said taking a deep breath, "Of course! They are the friends of the Wanderers!"

"Wanderers?" Lily asked and Sarah chuckled uncomfortably, "Oh…not a good name."

"Ay, we know." Brokkr said and I pat his back.

"Been there man, been there."

"So you guys were there when they saved the world?" Kent asked looking skeptical, "Is it true?"

"Yep, every word!" Gareth said proudly.

"Even the part where they single handedly destroyed a meteor by using the planets life force?" Hana asked getting in my face.

"Almost every word." Alice finished with a sigh.

"That sounds familiar but…many generations away from now." I said thinking back to where that's from and chuckling.

"Wait…so you guys don't remember us?" Lily asked and Pent nodded.

"As far as we know this is the first time we have met." So…this is this reality's Warriors of Light…although I'm guessing they don't need warriors of light in this reality.

"Well…then it's nice to meet you guys." I said stepping forward and holding my hand out, "I'm Soren and these are my friends Alice, Gareth and Lily." Kent looked at my hand and then my face before smirking and gripping my hand.

"Nice to meet you Soren. I'm Kent and these are my friends Hana, Pent and Sena…but you already knew that didn't you."

"No, I knew the names…but I don't know YOU four." There was an awkward silence before we both laughed easing the tension. Suddenly Hana popped in between us with a big smile on her face.

"Time for a shared bath!"

"…That actually sounds nice." Suddenly I felt Alice smack the back of my head again, "Ow…why?"

"You're too stupid for words you know that?" Alice said confusing me.

Alice

"Hmph…I wanted a shared bath." Hana said sulking as she sat in the water with us. Taking charge I made sure that the boys were taken to a separate part of the spring while us girls soaked at the other end as we were separated by a makeshift wall of rocks.

"Wasn't happening on my watch." I replied sliding into the heated water and letting out a long sigh; this was amazing.

"Is my copy ashamed of her body?"

"No! I just don't want those animals ogling at us the whole time!"

"Hmm…"

"I don't think I'd mind Soren being here." Sarah said and I sat up in shock.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem the type to be that way." Wendy added and I sighed.

"Trust me, he is…it's just weird to tell how he's feeling…he goes into a blank stare." And that just makes it worse…damn it what was he thinking in that moment.

"Wait…he actually-"

"No! Never! Not at all!" I replied hastily with all my might making Hana giggle…stupid girl is too pushy…am I that way?

"You're lying." Sena said bluntly.

"Um…how about we just drop this okay? It's probably better that way." Lily said and I relaxed back into the water. It felt like the water was washing away all my worries and tension but it felt like more than just that; every fight and struggle I had ever been in was being washed into the water and evaporated into the air…I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I was a few pounds lighter when I stepped out…we've really been through a lot in this adventure haven't we?

"So what happened after we parted?" Sarah asked snapping me out of my memories, "It's been about a year and you just show up out of nowhere and during our break no less."

"Well how about you explain what you've been up to?" I asked turning to her, "I honestly didn't expect to see you guys with these guys…I didn't know what to expect with you guys."

"In this world it would have been weird to go back to our old lives…especially with our copies being here." She had a point, two princesses doesn't make for a good kingdom…or leads to a beheading…ugh.

"So we decided to keep wandering the world around us to help others out." Wendy chimed in, "One of the towns we visited had these guys running around helping them out…and so we decided to team up. That was about six months ago now."

"That seems weird. What were you four doing?" I asked looking at Hana and Sena.

"We're traveling heroes." Hana answered confusing me.

"We've decided as childhood friends that we wanted to help those in need," Sena continued pushing her glasses up, "but the world was at peace for the most part so we decided to start up a small hero community to dispatch troubling monsters and bandits to protect villages."

"It was slow going for a while," Hana said with a sigh, "but we liked it."

"Yes…it's very enjoyable." Sena added with a smile on her face and a wistful look in her eyes.

"It's definitely what I like to do most." Sarah said, "Maybe that's why I never liked my princess duties." She giggled at herself and we all laughed, "So what about you guys?"

"It…It hasn't been easy." I replied feeling my mood take a sudden spiral down.

"We…We've had better times." Lily added as I began to tell our most current journey.

Soren

"So that's what your next journey was." The sage said with a heavy sigh, "I'm sorry you had to see friends die again."

"…We couldn't stop it." Gareth said in his rare serious mood, "Unfortunately we weren't strong enough to do anything."

"I guess it was just our role to play." I added, "We can't save the day every time."

"Even so it seems like we just plunged it into darkness." He had a point…this is the first time we've left someplace in such a bad state…although I guess I can't say that considering one of those worlds is currently swarming with every creature imaginable, "I just…wish we could have fixed it."

"…Yeah."

"Ay buck up young ones." Brokkr said, "Ye still have work to do right? Then take care of the root and make sure it can't come back!"

"Alternate universes…my life is filled with weird stories isn't it?" Kent asked and Brokkr snapped his fingers at him.

"Focus boy!"

"Sorry. Anyway, it seems like you guys should be there instead of here."

"Yes, your focus is off base if you're relaxing with us." Pent added.

"We'd be there right now but it's much harder to travel through reality then you think." Gareth said defensively.

"It's traveling through space, time and possibility all at once so I'm surprised you four weren't torn apart during your passage." The sage said.

"We're magic."

"That's a crap answer." Kent said and he shrugged.

"Best short answer." Everyone turned to me and I sighed before going into the finer details; once I was done they all nodded in understanding, "So it's like a roulette wheel for us." And their faces returned to confusion.

"Every time man. We're too far back for them to even know what a casino is!" I replied and he laughed.

"Sorry I forgot."

"Wait…what's a roulette wheel?" As Gareth started explaining the rules of gambling I took a quick hop to a secluded part of the spring and seeped into the water; this was my first hot spring and god be damned if it was going to be my last, it's like an even better version of a bath. Suddenly I heard water move behind the wall and I heard a soft contented sigh.

"Huh? Who's there?"

"Oh! Soren?" That's Lily's voice.

"Hey Lily."

"H-Hi." She replied sounding meeker than she usually was. I've seen her open up more as a person but she still stays in the back only chiming in rarely…but at least she was confident in what she said finally, this stuttering meant she was feeling more unsure than before.

"You okay? Anything on your mind?"

"Hmhm…you can read me like a book can't you?"

"And yet you're the book nut in the group."

"Hmhm, yeah…Hey…I'm part of the group right?"

"Of course, you know that better than anyone."

"Yeah…but I can't help thinking about what's happened so far. I know I joined you three when we came to this world…but I can't help thinking about what would have happened if I decided not to help you that day."

"We probably wouldn't be around then…or at least I wouldn't."

"No…you're way too tenacious to go down like that. I know you would have come through in the end…but that would mean I keep fighting you guys…"

"…No, we wouldn't have made it."

"Ah…you're not so optimistic today."

"No…it's just I see how important you are to us Lily. You know we care about you a lot but it's the truth. You're more important than you think you are. All three of us can guarantee it…hell I'm pretty sure Gareth would fight to the death to keep that true."

"Hehehe…y-you really think?"

"No doubt, he really likes the time you guys spend together."

"…Thanks Soren." We sat there in silence and I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath; as I focused my attention on Lily I felt a force push me from where she was sitting…her aura was much stronger than ever before…that made me happy, "Hey Soren?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sticking by you until the end…for you and for myself."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." I gave a content sigh before sinking into the water, "But for now…let's enjoy this feeling."

"Works for me." She replied before giving out a long satisfied sigh.

Once we finished soaking we all put our clothes back on and stepped back out into the field; the sun was starting to set in the horizon and I began to think back; in Hyrule the sun was on the east side of the world then in the Mushroom kingdom it was in the middle of the sky when we left, now the sun was beginning to set…we traveled through worlds but stayed constant to time…reality is a strange mistress.

"That was a nice soak." Lily said stretching with a long sigh.

"My body feels ten pound lighter." Alice said patting her waist.

"You lost weight? You didn't need to." I said and she looked at me before her face turned red and she shook her head.

"You are a confusing boy on all fronts."

"Huh?" I heard Gareth and Hana laugh behind me.

"I like him." Hana said talking to Kent who sighed.

"He's an idiot." Kent replied.

"A cute idiot."

"Come on, let's go." Alice said ushering us over.

"Hang on." I replied reaching into my jackets' inner pocket and pulling out a scroll tossing it to Sarah, "That will keep us connected no matter how far apart we all are."

"How romantic." Wendy said giggling and I gave a small chuckle.

"Think of it like…a promise. A promise that we'll meet again, this isn't the last time we'll see each other."

"I like it." Kent said giving a smile

"Yeah…I like that promise." Sarah said as she and Kent stepped forward and holding out her hand, "Let's meet again." Grabbing both their hands I shook them confidently.

"Yeah…until we meet again." Drawing my sword I swung behind me opening a red tear, "Everyone ready?" Alice, Gareth and Lily nodded before we all walked through the portal back into the white void.

Walking forward I felt something begin to push against me making my heart race slightly; I stopped in my tracks and closed my eyes taking a deep breath, it was still there…this wasn't my fear this time.

"We're almost there."

"Really?" Gareth asked.

"You sure?" Lily asked.

"We've been wandering for a few hours now." Alice said and I turned to her with a confident look.

"Positive."

"…Alright then. Let's do this."

"Let's get moving then." Gareth said.

"I'm ready." Lily chimed in. I turned around and was surprised to see a red portal had opened up directly in front of us. Taking a step forward we all passed through the portal and I felt the pressure increase tenfold as the light consumed us. When it dies we were standing in front of a metal fortress that towered over us; the ground was a dying brown and the air above us was a gray mesh of desolation while a giant stone wall stood behind us. This was obviously the entrance but it was walled off from entry. I felt someone grab my shoulder and looked over to Alice who pointed forward; I looked to see the metal door slowly open into the darkness. With a shared nod we all walked into the entrance ready to finally take on Owen for the last time…and we were ready!


	4. Where we must go

We stumbled blindly through the darkness waiting for anything; any form of illumination magic was useless and even as I tried to focus and feel something it was a just mesh of noise and black that made my head hurt and my blood boil…guess I can't use my senses in Owen's stronghold…the good news was I could still sense the others behind me, no way was I losing them in this darkness.

"Hey…does anyone else feel that?" Lily asked as her breath started to quicken, "It's like…an overwhelming pressure."

"Yeah…it's kind of choking." Gareth added with a cough, "Feels like something trying to keep me from moving."

"Soren." Alice said.

"Yeah?"

"…My body feels heavier than normal."

"Everyone form up on me." I stood still as the others came up and circled around me. Alice looked fine but Gareth and Lily looked just about ready to collapse…nothing was on any of their bodies though…, "Hang on, I'm going to try something…you might feel a slight push." They nodded and I took a deep breath focusing on my aura…hold…hold…release! As my aura exploded off my body it cleaved the darkness around us revealing the room we were in; it was a long stretch of hallway that led to a wall at the end…no that was a crossway that went to the left and right. I looked over at Gareth and Lily to see they were looking better and seemed to be breathing normally again; I looked over to Alice and motioned to her body at which she shook her head to my relief.

"That's better." Gareth said taking a deep breath before looking out towards the long hallway, "We haven't made it very far at all have we?"

"No, we have…it's just bigger then it seemed." Lily said pointing back towards the door that was almost my thumbs size from this distance.

"So what was this hallway for?" Alice asked and I thought for a minute.

"Maybe…maybe it was to stop weak intruders from getting too far in. Without our auras to protect us we wouldn't have made it past the threshold."

"It still tried its hardest to break through though." Lily added, "It felt like my body was trying to take me apart."

"Yeah…how the hell did you two pull through?" Gareth asked me and Alice.

"I guess it's because I'm naturally closed." Alice replied, "My shells a little harder to crack then most." I thought back to my dad who taught me to sense aura in the first place.

"For me…it's something I've had for a long time…a gift left behind by someone important." I replied, "Come on, let's keep moving." They all nodded and we sped up our pace heading for the intersection. Once we came to it I looked to the left and then the right before turning back to Lily.

"Lily, you know more about this place then we do. Which way should we head?"

"…Actually, something is wrong with this piece of my memory." She replied clutching her head with her right hand, "It feels like all my info of this place is a blank slate. I can remember what I did here…but not where or how I got to places."

"How did that happen?" Gareth asked.

"Sukia probably took them when they separated." Alice said, "It would explain those blank spots in your memory."

"Then we're going to have to take a guess at which ay to take." I said scratching my head.

"Why not split up?"

"We're in enemy territory so we should stay as a group in case we're ambushed."

"You think we could be ambushed?"

"Well there are a large amount of people here." Gareth said, "It's basically the four of us against an army."

"Then let's stay together." Alice said, "So which way are we headed?" I looked down the left path to see an opening to a large empty room, the right path led to a metal door that seemed unremarkable…but still catches my eye.

"…Come on, let's check the right path." I replied heading for the door. Once I reached it I turned the handle and head through into another hallway with doorways lining the walls.

As we walked down I looked into the openings to see small barrack-like rooms in every one; this must have been where everyone he recruited stayed...well at least one of the areas they stayed, it seemed unlikely that EVERYONE stayed here.

"This place looks barely livable. Kind of a military feel to it." Gareth said looking at the beds.

"I kind of got a lab experiment vibe from the whole thing myself." I said looking over a corner to see a closed room in the middle of the next intersection, "I think I found something guys." Rushing over I opened the door and looked inside to see it was a room with a large monitor with a keyboard and VHS player attached; the walls were lined with file cabinets.

"What's this room?" Alice asked opening one of the file cabinets and pulling a folder out, "…Derek Johnson…this a person's record…or at least their traveler record."

"Let me see." I asked and she handed me the file, "…Huh, Megaman, interesting…what the hell?"

"What is it?" Alice asked and I pointed to the last line on the page.

"Traveler has been harvested successfully, place on defense."

"Harvested!? What the hell does he mean by that!?"

"…No…he couldn't have."

"What are you thinking?" Lily asked.

"Owen's journal said that every traveler has the ability to travel through dimensions. But more than that their power trumps that of even the most powerful beings below gods…in some cases they can apparently destroy worlds."

"We know that, but what does that have to do with this whole harvesting thing?" Gareth asked shuffling through the files.

"If he can harvest the power of a traveler and add it to your own then I'm positive you can become more powerful…which means enough of them together-"

"Can create a power to destroy existence!" Lily finished with a look of shock on her face, "He's turning travelers into husks in order to take their power!? So then…what happens to the person!?"

"…I'm guessing their stuck with whoever absorbed them until their released." Alice said, "Put to sleep before the end in that case."

"So he's more twisted then we thought." Gareth said off-handedly as he pulled files out.

"…I wonder…" Suddenly I felt something tap my shoulder and looked to see Gareth handing me a set of files.

"I think you'll be interested in these files." Grabbing them I opened the first one and saw my name printed on the page; I opened the others to see Alice, Gareth and Lily's files all there, "Looks like he's been keeping tags on us."

"More than tags, he's got entire backgrounds on us." I said flipping through numerous pages finding all of our adventures printed in cold hard text, "It's almost obsessive."

"Well as far as I can tell we're the only thorns in his side. Seems figuring us out would be his top priority." Alice said opening another cabinet and pulling out a tape, "He even has video recordings."

"He's really well organized for an insane person." Gareth said pulling out another file and gasping.

"I wouldn't say insane…just mis-"

"Guys!" I stopped mid-sentence and turned to see Gareth holding a folder out to us; I read the title and was shocked to see Mary's name on it.

"What the- how does he have her file!?" Snatching it up I scanned over it finding most of the information only second-hand proven and biased; her appearance wasn't even given and her history was mostly blank except for her involvement in taking travelers to different worlds, "…becoming more of a thorn in my side with her involvement in bringing Soren back into my plans over and over again…I now must take drastic measures and speed up my plans by any means necessary. Even if I must contain the goddess herself I shall."

"So he captured Mary?" Lily asked sounding worried, hearing a giggle I turned around to see Mary standing at the doorway to my relief.

"Good, you're safe."

"I am a goddess after all."

"I thought you weren't a god?" Alice asked and she shrugged.

"So you finally made it. I knew you would make it here…it's just how you are."

"We're going to stop this. Once we find Owen we'll put an end to this." I said confidently.

"I know you will…I just wish I could apologize to him…before you have to do what you have to."

"So I really don't have a choice do I?"

"I'm afraid not, in the end he can't exist as he is now."

"…What about the husks?" Gareth asked, "What do you want us to do about them?"

"I actually need your guys help with that." She stepped forward and pulled out my sword from its sheath, "Can I get all of your weapons for a moment?" Everyone else handed her their weapons and she made them levitate before running her hands over the metal making them glow with a light green light before they all returned to us, "I've given your weapons a temporary ability, when you hit a person they'll be transported to a space I've set aside. When you've gotten all of them then it'll wear off, I just don't want them to suffer for my mistake."

"Don't worry." I replied sheathing Twin Soul, "We'll get all of them."

"Just a quick question." Alice interjected, "Just how many are there?"

"Exactly four thousand." Four thousand?

"That's a lot." Gareth said with an excited look in his eyes, "But we're ready!"

"D-Damn right!" Lily said hesitant at swearing.

"Lily, stay innocent." Alice asked patting her head.

"Okay…but we can do it!"

"We're not going to just let them suffer." Alice added.

"We'll save them." I finished and Mary wiped away a tear.

"I owe you guys so much for helping me with fixing my mistakes…I'm sorry I had to drag you into it."

"Mary…" Stepping forward I pulled her into a hug, "You're our friend, you've already helped all of us become who we are…we owe you more than this…so we're going to help you out anyway we can. It's what I do for my friends."

"Me too." Alice added.

"Ditto." Gareth said.

"Same here." Lily said and Mary giggled before handing me a photo.

"Then I couldn't have asked for better friends." After she said that she started to slowly fade away, "I know you guys will succeed; good luck." After she disappeared I looked down at the photo; it was a picture of Laharl, Etna and Flonne from Disgaea with Laharl sitting on the throne while Etna and Flonne sat on the sides of it.

"What's that?" Alice asked as I thought for a moment.

"…Mary's apology." I replied putting the picture in my jackets pocket, "Come on, let's keep moving.

Moving through the halls and rooms we looked for any sign of the right way to go but it felt like we were going in circles over and over again with how many bedrooms we found; I couldn't even find Owen's room or office; that would have at least given me some bearings on where we were. The worst part was that everywhere we went there wasn't a person…or husk to be found in any corner of any room; I couldn't even sense any presence form any direction…it was a pale place to be sure, both in emptiness and in the feeling of the room.

"Something feels wrong." Lily said rubbing her arm.

"Yeah, it feels colder and just wrong in general." Gareth said.

"I feel my goosebumps shooting off all over my body." Alice said clutching herself.

"…We must be getting close then." I said looking down the next long hallway; at the end of it I saw a large opening leading to a large room…I remember that opening. I turned around to see the door behind me and to my left was the entrance across the long hallway; we walked in a full circle…but we didn't go through any other door, "This place must be designed to send us back to the entrance."

"So we have to head through there then."

"Yep."

"Well that was a long walk for a tall drink of water." Gareth said, "And I mean tall drink so don't even start."

"Don't worry." Lily said, "If we hadn't then we wouldn't have met Mary before we take on Owen."

"That's right; now let's go help our friend." I said pulling out Twin Soul as gave a light, warming, green glow; the others drew their weapons and we all headed towards the giant room.

As we crossed the threshold I was shocked to see an enormous group of people standing in our way; while the room was massive the group in front of us took up almost all of it…and all of them were looking directly at us.

"Ngh! Anyone else feel like we're the odd ones out?" Gareth said.

"Maybe we're the guests of honor." Lily retorted.

"Correct!" We all looked over to see Damien standing at the front of the hoard, "Welcome to the big event! You should have been here sooner though; I was starting to get bored."

"Well we're not here to indulge in your sick games!" Gareth shouted, "We're going to take out Owen and you can't stop us!"

"I wouldn't bother anyway." He sighed shaking his head, "I mean; you know I don't bother with weaklings. Now if you were to take out all four-thousand of these meat sacks then maybe I'd give you a chance…but that's only if you win." He leaped into the air and we watched as he landed on a veranda; I looked out to see Sukia, The Gemini Twins and Jarek standing with him and looking down at us. I tried to rush forward and was stopped by the sound of steel shifting in a hilt.

"Damn!" Backing up I separated into dual blades as the hoard slowly approached us, "Alright…everyone ready?"

"Ready." Alice said.

"Bring 'em on!" Gareth yelled.

"Let's go!" Lily said.

"Alright…give 'em hell!" With that we all rushed at the husk, weapons primed and ready!

Rushing into the hoard I sliced through five of them with each sword and I watched as they faded away into nothing; looks like that spell is really effective…and now I don't have to hold back when I fight! (Speed x2) Dashing across the room I slashed at everyone who was in my path and finished with a full spin catching the end of the dash and looked to see I had created a giant hole in their forces about double my blades length. As I took a quick breath I saw an arrow come flying at me and quickly swat it away before blocking an incoming slash and countering as more attacks came flooding in from all sides; this is going to be harder than I expected.

Alice

Slicing through another husk I felt something behind me and swerved avoiding the hit and striking back. These guys are pretty annoying, I expected slow moving zombies but they were more competent and way more coordinated then I thought they would be…guess I'll give them the full Alice experience. Quickly enchanting my blade with frost I stabbed into the ground and watched as the field around me turned to ice; they all started to slide as I switched to flames and swung catching a large number of them making them fade away. So my magic doesn't hinder the spell, I expected as much from one of Mary's spells. Switching to lighting I spun on the ice as circles of electricity moved out from me catching everyone they could before I stopped and jumped up switching back to flames; I don't need this ice floor anymore; swinging down a wave of fire hit the ice turning to mist as I hit the ground again and switched to wind swinging the blade as quickly as I could sending out every wind slash I could. When the mist cleared I looked to see I had created a nice hole in their forces that quickly reformed surrounding me again; damn, this is more trouble than it's worth…no I guess that's not true…now to keep fighting!

Gareth

Taking a deep breath I looked to see the forces I took out had already been replaced by another wave; I'll give them credit, they're damn tenacious for walking piles of husk…well they're putting up a fight so I can't complain yet! Pooling my accuracy into my speed I took wild swings at every husk in my path catching more and more of them as quickly as possible; as I got faster and faster I moved into the motions until my Earth Breaker was an impenetrable wall of axe blades that hacked apart every husk in its path. Once I felt my hands start to burn I stopped and took one quick spin extending the axe chain and catching a full circle of them; as I retracted the chain I saw a husk come to strike me I quickly pooled everything into defense and watched as the blade broke against my skin before balancing my stats back out as my axe went back to normal. Man these guys are persistent; for every fifty I take out another hundred take their place…and my body is starting to slow down before I've even hit five hundred; so I'm not stopping yet!

Lily

I vaulted up and jumped into the middle of the husks reeling back and spinning quickly catching a circle of them; turning around I quickly swung at another husk as it tried to approach. I turned around again to see a circle of them were rushing at me with spears and took a deep breath as I concentrated; they all grinded to a halt and I reeled back before swinging in a full circle taking all of them out. It was impossible to keep these guys off my back when I could barely get the space to move around properly…and anymore of this is going to completely wear me down to the bone. As they group up on me again I slashed across as many of them as I could as fast as I could making sure to dodge their attacks and retaliate quickly while using my white magic to keep myself up and occasionally blast a few at more troublesome groups. As they all came in to strike I vaulted into the air and watched as they all slowed down…sometimes I think this ability has a mind of its own. Gripping the staff end tightly I spun like a top in the air and continued spinning as I landed on the ground and slashed through wave after wave of them until I was spinning in a giant empty circle. When I stopped I took a moment to recoil from the dizziness I felt and when I looked I was surprised to see I had been surrounded by another group of husks; they won't stop coming…but I can't stop now!

Jarek

I watched as Soren, Alice, Gareth and Lily fought against the hordes of useless drones Owen had put to stop them; knowing those four though it was pointless to put anything in their path…how the hell were they so resilient?

"Hehehe…maybe this won't be so boring after all." The shapeshifter said laughing maniacally.

"…They're going to get through this." The twins said in unison as they looked over the railing.

"Yeah…they're not going to stop." Sukia said looking away and clutching her body…that was doubt splayed all over her…not my problem though…he is. I looked down at Soren and watched as he hacked through the forces with a determined expression; I felt my hands grip into a fist as my arms shook uncontrollably…that bastard was going to pay for everything he's done…I'll make sure of it!

"I don't want to watch this anymore, I'm going to go wait for them." I said turning around. I stopped in surprise as I saw Owen standing behind us suddenly.

"It might be longer then you think Jarek." He said passing by us and looking out, "I'm not letting them get through that room if it's the last thing I do." I looked back out to see they had mostly taken the husks out and was down to the triple digits.

"They'll be done with those in no time."

"But they still have their own lives to get through." What did he mean by that? As I watched them fight my eyes were drawn to a strange black spot on the floor that continued to grow and pulsate strangely…what was that?

Soren

Leaping back into the center I heard more feet hit the ground and looked to see we had all regrouped as the remaining husks circled around us; form what I could tell there were only about five hundred of them but everyone was looking close to wiped out, we were going to need a major attack to take them out.

"Guys; big finish." I said and they all nodded. Gareth put his hand on my shoulder and I felt my muscles felt stronger, Alice put her hand on my blade giving it a fire enchantment, Lily moved over to me and touched my temple taking a deep breath as the world around me started to slow. (Speed x2) Leaping into the air with my speed I did a quick spin sending a circle of fire over the husks before crashing down and erupting a wave of fire that washed over the enemies that circled us and getting rid of the last of them. I looked at my blade and watched as the glow faded; that's the last of them then. I collapsed to the ground and began to pant as the others followed in line collapsing behind and next to me.

"That's…all of them." I choked out in between my haggard breaths.

"Good…I can't…move." Lily replied.

"I…don't want…to move." Gareth added.

"At least…we took them all out." Alice finished. Taking a deep breath I tried to stand up but felt my knees give away making me collapse on Alice, "None of us are moving for a while Soren."

"I see that now." I replied sitting up next to Alice and taking off my jacket to help my body breath.

"That makes things easier for me then." I whipped my head around and looked to see Owen standing over us. I tried to stand up but felt my body reject the idea outright making me fall into Alice's lap again, "Don't even bother getting up. Even if you can take out four-thousand of those husks it will still leave you unable to move for quite a while, which means you can't escape this next trap so easily…then again I don't think you'd want to."

"What does that mean?"

"Soren!" I looked around to see we were being consumed by a strange black mass that was crawling up our bodies quickly; I looked over to see Alice clutch my jacket in panic as the black mass consumed me entirely. As I flailed and tried to get rid of the presence I felt my consciousness fade into oblivion as…whoever I just saw laughed for…some reason…

"Soren. Get up." I felt someone shake me and rolled over to ignore them.

"Mmm…five more…hours." I replied.

"No! You'll be late for school if you sleep in that late!" I suddenly felt my covers flip as I fell off my bed onto my room floor.

"Ow! Okay, okay…I'm up." Getting up I took a quick stretch and rubbed the sore spot on my back, "That hurts more than you think it does."

"It looks pretty painful."

"Then you suck big time." I looked over at the culprit and watched as my sister Jennifer laughed at me making me chuckle sympathetically; just another day with my crazy sister.


	5. Normal

Slipping on my red shirt and jeans I reached for my fingerless gloves and my backpack before heading for the door; wait…it feels like I'm missing something important…I've got my bag, my gloves…what was missing?

"Are you okay sweetie?" Mom asked tapping my shoulder.

"Nothing…am I forgetting anything?" I asked.

"I don't think so. You look a little dirty." She licked her thumb before rubbing my cheek and I moved her hand away chuckling.

"Mom."

"Sorry, have a good day at school."

"Thanks. See ya later Jessie." I said waving to my sister who waved back as I closed the door…it's chillier than normal today.

I sat on the bus as it bumped along the busy road towards Rangeview and looked out the window thinking on what I was happening today; our annual school dance was coming up and it was my only chance to ask out Amanda before someone else swoops in and steals that chance from me.

"Whatcha thinking about there?"

"Gah!" I jumped in my seat and looked behind me to see one of my friends Jake grinning slyly at me, "Don't be creepy man."

"I'm not the one grinning like an idiot on the bus. At this point your creep factor just went up." He pointed out to the rest of the bus and I saw everyone either staring or laughing at me.

"…Fair enough."

"You're lucky Amanda isn't on the bus or you'd have blown your chances right there."

"Come on man. She's not that shallow." Amanda was a sweet caring girl who always looked out for others and had a beautiful singing voice to top it off.

"Yeah but you're still pretty creepy anyway."

"You're a great friend you know that Jake." I said facetiously as the bus went over a road bump knocking a small green jacket out of my bag, "What the…"

"That's too small for you man." I picked it up and looked at it in confusion…this feels familiar.

As the bus came to a stop I jumped off and rushed through the front doors towards my first class; sliding in I sat down at the desk next to my best friends Adam and Daniel who were already engrossed in a Yu-Gi-Oh duel.

"Look who finally showed up." Daniel said teasing me as he played a Silent Magician Lv. 8. Reaching into my bag I pulled out my deck and waited for them to finish before pulling out my cards and starting a battle with Adam and his Hero deck.

"Hey, do either of you know anyone with a small green jacket? Most likely a girl?" I asked setting a trap down.

"No, why?" Daniel asked.

"I found this in my backpack this morning." I held up the green jacket to them and they looked at each other before shrugging.

"You sure it's not your sisters?" Adam asked.

"No, she doesn't wear dark green…I feel like I know someone who does though."

"Must be your imagination. Don't focus on it too much." Daniel said as Adam flipped over an Old Vindictive Mage, "Right now you have bigger problems."

"Yeah, like tomorrows dance." Adam added chuckling.

"Yeah, we still have to find dates." I said summoning Black Luster Soldier: Envoy of the Beginning.

"I've got one." Daniel said.

"Me too." Adman added shocking me.

"What!? Both of you!? How did that happen!?" I asked standing up.

"Because we're not chickens."

"Very funny." Sitting down I heard the bell ring and watched as other people started pouring into class as we gathered up our cards and put them away before the teacher saw us. As he started his lecture on history I found myself staring out the window into the bright sun that threatened to blind me as birds chirped in the background.

Alice

I stared out my window in deep thought as the birds fluttered by and the sun almost blinded me; I looked back into the room and slumped my head down before hearing someone giggling right next to me.

"Someone feeling a little wistful?" I looked over to see my friend Tina giving me a playful smirk, "Or are you thinking about a booooyyy?"

"Shut up." I said pushing her away and standing up from my desk; grabbing my bag I began to walk out as she walked behind me, "So what's our next class?"

"P.E." Oh great, I really don't feel like getting sweaty today.

"Come on, can't I avoid sweat stains today?" I groaned as we slowly headed for the gym .

"Oh come on, you know who else has that class? Derek." Ahhh…Derek.

"Maybe it won't be so bad then." I replied swaying happily from side to side; Derek was a man wrapped in a teens' body and the football star, watching him exercise was an event I'd pay to watch…luckily I had gym with him so I got it for free.

"…Hey Alice, when did you start wearing black?" I looked down to see I was wearing a large black windbreaker jacket that almost covered my hands with how long the arms were…even though I didn't recognize it I felt like this wasn't my first time wearing it…I kind of liked it.

"Huh…was I always wearing this?"

"You weren't yesterday…or even a few minutes ago." She replied grabbing at the fabric, "It doesn't seem like you to wear this."

"Yeah…not my color." As I moved to take it off I stopped for a moment before slipping it back on.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"I don't know…it feels…like something important to someone."

"Oooohhh, a secret love." I giggled and pushed her away.

"Get real. It's important…I just can't explain why." I felt the arm of the jacket and felt slightly…nostalgic.

After changing into my gym clothes I stepped onto the gym floor to see all the girls doing stretches; Tina and I joined in helping each other out as I looked around for where all the boys had gone to.

"Where are all the boys?"

"You mean Derek?" Tina teased.

"Seriously though."

"They must have separated us for some reason." She replied stretching out my back, "Maybe we're doing something big and they're separating us for some reason."

"Alright girls! We're doing dodgeball!" The gym teacher shouted holding up a big red ball.

"That explains it." I said standing up, "Are we doing boys versus girls?"

"Great instincts Alice! You get the first volley!" She tossed me the dodgeball and I felt my heart race. Time to pelt that moron…wait…who am I talking about?

Gareth

"Come on! Show what you've got!" I yelled beckoning everyone to hit me; it was dodgeball but I've given everyone the chance to test my endurance turning it into knockout ball, "The first one that can knock me over wins!" I saw everyone reel back and throw their balls at me, knocking against my body uselessly as I absorbed the blows, "Still standing!"

"Try this on for size!" Nelson yelled throwing a medicine ball at me. Reaching my hands out I grabbed it and skid back before laughing uproariously.

"I'm gonna need a better size than that Nelson!" Everyone sighed before walking away in defeat; I heard a few of the girls in the stand cheer me and I gave a wave and a few muscle flexes making them giggle.

"Someone is being an extra showoff today." Nelson said patting my back.

"Gotta make the ladies happy." I replied chuckling and Nelson rolled his eyes at me with a smile, "Come on, its lunch time."

"Perfect, I'm starving!"

"Then let's get changed out of our P.E. uniform and grab something to eat." With a nod we headed to the locker room.

"Hey Gareth!" I turned around to see one of the girls approaching me; it was Samantha from my Algebra class, "You were great out there. Is your body okay?"

"I'm perfectly healthy!" I replied pounding my chest, "It'll take more than that to stop me!" She giggled in response and I felt my cheeks heat up.

"Come on Romeo." Nelson said dragging me away.

Once we were changed out and I was back in my white hoodie, black shirt and brown pants with boots we headed for the cafeteria…wait, one of those doesn't seem right…must be my imagination; grabbing a tray of food I sat down at the nearby lunch table and began to dig into the chicken sandwich and peas.

"Man! I don't know what they use but these chicken sandwiches are great!"

"Probably grade-minimum chicken." Nelson replied.

"Still great." Suddenly I heard a tray get dropped next to me and I looked to see Samantha sitting next to me.

"Hey Gareth." She said scooting closer to me, "I was wondering if you could help me with the test this Friday?"

"Sure, let me grab my notebooks." I replied reaching into my bag and pulling out my stack of books.

"You actually study?" Nelson asked and I shrugged as I cycled through them.

"So what do we need to study? The great depression, World War two, The Alamo?" As I made it to the last in the stack I was surprised to find a title-less book at the bottom of the stack; it was a simple brown journal with no lock but looked pretty thick. Opening it up I saw the pages were completely blank…but the back cover had initials on it; L.T.;…I know those initials…wait, I do?

"What's that?" Samantha asked as she and Nelson leaned in.

"L.T.? That's not your initials." Nelson said as I closed the book and set it down.

"Nope. It was in my bag though."

"Probably need to go to the lost and found then." Samantha said reaching for it. Before even thinking I swiped it up and shoved it into my bag, "Ah!...what's wrong?"

"N-Nothing…just my instincts kicking in is all. I think I'll hold onto this for now." I replied shoving it back into my bag and finishing up my tray of food, "Come on, let's head to the library to study."

"Okay!" Samantha said wrapping her arm around mine and leading me to the library upstairs.

Lily

Entering the library all I could hear was the ticking of a clock and the sound of paper being moved inside a book; stepping in I took a seat at one of the tables and pulled out my copy of Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick.

"In the library again Lily?" I looked up to see my brother Lest standing over me and chuckling.

"I-I like to read." I replied blushing.

"Still, you have friends to hang out with."

"They're meeting me here to study!"

"She's not wrong." I looked over to see Seth, Britney and Madison all approaching the table with stacks of books.

"Alright, but don't forget to eat." Lest said waving a bagged lunch in front of me, "You don't want Mom's lunch to go to waste do you?"

"Of course not." I replied grabbing the bag and pulling the sandwich out of it, "You know…you could study with us brother."

"Hmm…maybe I will." He said sitting down and I giggled happily, "…Hey Lily? When did you get into red?" I looked down to see I was wearing a red sports vest.

"Huh…is it weird?" I asked putting my hands on it, it felt kind of wrinkled…like it had been worn through a tumble down a cliff…it was even patched up pretty well.

"A little." Seth replied.

"Why don't you take it off?" Britney asked and as I moved to unzip it I felt my body stop instinctively.

"I…I think I'll keep it on actually…it feels important." I replied smoothing it out…it's familiar…but why?

"Whatever, so what are we studying?" Maddy asked leaning in as I pulled out the history book and moved over to the section on Columbus's voyage to find America.

"What's coming up on the next test of course."

"That's my sister for you." Lest said chuckling and I felt my face turn red from embarrassment.

Jarek

Leaping down from the banister I approached Owen as the four interferers were slowly consumed by the darkness that oozed out of the floor; once it had fully consumed them it dissipated leaving their sleeping forms on the floor.

"That's the end of that." Owen said chuckling as I approached.

"What did you do to them?" I asked looking at them and watching as a small visual portal opened up above each of their heads; each of them showed a picture of them…wearing more casual clothing then they were currently wearing.

"Let's call it a fantasy realm."

"Fantasy realm?" I looked back to the bubble to see they were all floating in a black void as they slept, "They seem to be asleep."

"Yes but once they wake they will be stuck within that void until they are able to break free."

"They will break free." I said bluntly; they can break through that easily.

"Maybe under normal circumstances but I'm not letting them escape as they are now." Hearing the sound of wingbeats behind me I turned to see Sukia flying down behind us; as she touched the ground her wings and tail folded in behind her disappearing as she approached us, "But I know Sukia can manipulate the reality others see. So I'm giving her free reign to manipulate their realities."

"What do you need?" Sukia asked looking away.

"Create an air tight reality they won't want to escape. Make their wildest dreams come true. Leave them unconnected though."

"What?" What was he planning?

"Keep them completely out of each other's fantasies, that connection could be all that severs their realities. I don't want them interfering further and the only way to do that is to keep them away from each other." So he knows how powerful their bonds are; keeping them apart is definitely smart…but I wanted to destroy Soren myself!

"How long do you want it to last?" Sukia asked and Owen laughed uproariously.

"For as long as you can make it last. I just need it to last until my plan is complete, and with this power-" With a snap of his fingers he opened ten simultaneous portals to different dimensions, "-I will make it happen!"…His plan doesn't matter; as long as Soren is destroyed I couldn't care less about anything else.

"…I'm going to need your help Jarek." Sukia said making me look at her in confusion, "You and Soren were one person when he was friends with Alice and Gareth. You're my best reference for this."

"…Fine." As I walked over to her I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder and I looked behind me to see…Jessica standing there!?

"Something wrong brother?" She said with a sly smile and a dark look. I gripped her shirt tightly and brought…HIM closer.

"Stop that…NOW!" He laughed before molding out of my hand and turning back into the shapeshifter and laughing hysterically.

"That was fun…but not worth my time." With that the shapeshifter began to walk away, "I'll be waiting up ahead. If they get free then I want to make sure I'm ready to fight them."…I turned my attention back to Sukia as she softly touched Soren's face.

Sukia

I crouched to the ground and touched Soren's face as he sat motionless; I motioned for Jarek to come closer and once he was near me I grabbed his hand and closed my eyes to concentrate on his memories. I sped through the first few years of his life and kept my eye out for Alice and Gareth; once I came across the end of their first journey I watched the days Alice and Soren spent together as friends, just talking and hanging out…making jokes…enjoying each other's company. Deciding that was enough of that I sped through to the next set of memories until I came across Gareth's journey and sped to the end; I watched as all three of them spent time together…and it happened again. That feeling of nostalgia made me think back to those times I spent with Owen and Nina; every joke…every fight with Owen…every moment of joy with Nina...it hurts.

"Stop…stop this!" Hearing Jarek's voice I pulled my hand away and felt as Jarek wrenched his hand out of my grip. I looked over to see Jarek was looking very pissed at me…but his eyes were watering profusely, "What the hell did you do to me!?"

"I-I-I don't know…suddenly my thoughts went back to my memories of my time with Nina and Owen." I replied rubbing my face and feeling it was wet.

"Whatever you did it completely messed with my emotions!" He retorted, "All I could feel was the immense sadness that you felt in that moment…it hurt so much." He suddenly scooted back and shivered as I moved over to him.

"Jarek…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." I put my hand on his shoulder and watched as he took a deep breath, "I didn't even know I could do that." As he stopped shivering he swatted my hand off and stood up.

"You don't want to hurt others…and yet all you're doing is hurting others." He said and I looked at my hands.

"I…I just want her back."

"Personally I don't care…whether you compromise your morals or not isn't important to me…I just wouldn't do that myself." He looked at me with a nasty glare, "Just don't do it again."

"I won't…I'll keep the knowledge to what I know and work around the ideal school life image." He gave a nod before walking away and I reached out my hand to grab him, "Wait…can you just stay with me for right now…I don't want to be alone." Not after seeing those memories.

"…Fine." He sat back down and I put my hand back on Soren, "…Your name is just a nickname for Succubus isn't it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"…Nina gave you that name didn't she?"

"…Yeah…it means a lot to me because it was from someone close to me…what about yours?"

"I came up with mine." He replied as I moved over to Alice.

"Do you like it?"

"…Honestly it's…not my best name choice." Hehehe…

"Would you like it if I tried?"

"…Do what you want." He looked away as I moved over to Gareth and thought for a moment.

"Hmm…how about Solan?"

"Too close to Soren. I don't want to be anywhere near the other's name."

"Alright…Jacob."

"No…I want my name to mean something. Jarek means strength, and that's what I want to be."

"Maybe…Neo." I said putting my hand on Lily.

"…Acceptance?" Taking my hands off of her I turned back to Jarek as he was in thought, "…Are you done?"

"Yes." I replied standing up and walking over to him.

"Then let's go wait." As we walked away I looked back and as they descended into my dream realms I felt like something was off with each of them…their colors were slightly switched…and Gareth was holding a book…something was wrong…and yet I couldn't walk back to fix it…no, I didn't want to.


	6. Lily

Once the school bell rang I stood up from my desk and grabbed all of my books before placing them in my messenger bag; I looked around to see others had either already rushed out the classroom door or were lazily slumping out after the long day. I looked to at the black board and was still drawn to the spelling bee that was going to be tomorrow; pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil I wrote down the date and time and gave a small giggle of excitement.

"Lily?" I jumped slightly and looked over to see Mr. Delt looking down at me, "Are you thinking of joining the school spelling bee tomorrow."

"I-I don't know…I might." I replied feeling my cheeks flare up as I looked at him.

"Well I'm sure if you did you would take home first place." Ah!

"Th-Th-Thank you v-v-very much sir!" I said stumbling over my own words against my control, "I have to go now sir. S-S-See you tomorrow!" With a shaky salute I rushed out of the room and took a deep breath as I clutched my bag.

"A little embarrassed there little sis?" Lest said suddenly making me jump.

"Ah! Don't come out of nowhere like that!" I yelled at him and he chuckled.

"I didn't know you had the hots for teacher."

"I-I don't!"

"Really? Could have fooled me." Jeez, like he's one to talk!

"Lest!" I looked behind him to see a group of three girls approaching us.

"Oh, What's up Amber, Tina, Fawn?" He said as they stopped in front of him with big smiles on their faces.

"We were just wondering which of us you liked the most. Would you mind telling us?"…?

"…I like all of you. You're all my best friends." They all squealed loudly as their faces turned bright red; I giggled quietly as they moved away quickly and Lest looked back at me confused, "What did I say?"

"You can't be this stupid can you?" I looked over to see my brothers' classmate Dolce shaking her head as she approached us.

"What does that mean?"

"…Lily please explain." I thought for a moment finding myself lost for words.

"Brother…you might be too dense." I said and he tilted his head in confusion, "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's head home."

"Oh no!" He said grabbing me by my vest and lifting me up, "You're going to sign up for that spelling bee!"

"What!?"

"Registration ends today little sis. You promised that nice teacher that you would win just for him."

"Don't exaggerate!"

"Now come on, we've got work to do before today ends!" With that he started to walk forward.

"…Put her down you idiot." Dolce said hitting him on the head.

"Oh, sorry. Hehe."

"Lest you have a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"It's great you're so passionate but maybe tone it down, you're going to scare Lily beyond repair."

"Well you'll be there to stop me right Dolce?"

"O-Of course, I'm not leaving you to do something stupid…idiot!" As she huffed and looked away Lest and I chuckled at her huffiness, as I blinked she changed into a girl with black hair in a ponytail and sporting a small green jacket with the same cold yet kind look on her face. When I blinked again she changed back to her normal look and Lest was giving me another confusing look.

"L-Let's just keep moving."

"…Alright." Lest replied, "…Let's get you signed up!"

Once we were at the main office I moved to the front desk and looked to see a sign-up sheet hanging against the back wall; I asked the person sitting at the desk for it and she grabbed it form the board before handing it to me along with a pen.

"Lily…Tesit. Done!" Handing it back to her I looked back at Lest and gave him a thumbs up as he gave one back.

"So, you dare challenge me." I jumped slightly and looked to see my…friend/rival standing next to me with a glare pointed directly at me, "You should now that when you attempt a battle of wits I will be there to take you down a peg."

"Oh god." Dolce said shaking her head.

"Hey Kira." Lest said waving to her and she looked over nodding before returning to me.

"You dare attempt a spelling bee without realizing I would also be competing."

"No, I knew you would try it out as well." I said with a smile.

"Then you should have realized that she would come here and go off on you like an anime villain." Lest said coyly.

"Why does this happen every time?" Dolce asked, "Even during the five kilometer run she was like this and everyone just watched as you two raced."

"Now shall we set a wager, although my victory is assured!" Kira said proudly.

"How about we say you win." I said reaching for the sign-up board again before being stopped by Lest.

"Come on sis; don't give up just because she's crazy."

"I heard that!"

"Just accept it!" Dolce yelled at her.

"You know you can take her. You scored higher than her on the last test, you can do this!"

"You sure?" I looked up and him and watched as he gave me a big grin.

"You got this!" As I looked at him he seemed to turn into someone else; someone with brown scruffy hair, a black jacket but still sporting that smile; as I blinked my brother came back into view…must be something wrong with my eyes.

"T-Thanks." I said feeling slightly unsure.

"Something wrong?"

"No…just my eyes playing tricks on me."

"Your glasses must be fogging up then." I grabbed my glasses and pulled out a cleaning wipe giving my glasses a soft cleaning before putting them back on.

"Better?"

"Better."

"Please do not forget about me." Kira said making both of us turn to her, "Now shall we make a wager or shall you chicken out?"

"She'll take that wager." Lest replied shocking me.

"Lest!"

"Very well, then if I win you shall be my servant for the next month. I will make you carry my books and serve me lunch like a maid, it will be demeaning and prove my superiority in the rankings."

"I get the feeling everyone will think something a bit different." Lest pointed out.

"I'd rather not have that rumor going around thank you!" I said feeling my cheeks heat up; I knew exactly what he was talking about and it didn't sound good at all!

"And should you win I shall give you the honor of kissing my hand."

"What are you, a queen?" Lest asked as my whole face felt hot.

"That doesn't sound any better than losing!" This girl was obsessed with throwing my sexuality into question today!

"Then until we do battle on the spelling bee field!" With that she walked away and I gave a worried look to my brother who chuckled lightly.

"Hey, things just got interesting."

"Unnecessarily." I finished with a sigh.

After Dolce said goodbye and walked away we walked back home I looked out at the orange of the sky as the sun began to set into the distance; I didn't realize how short the days were getting with winter coming closer around here…sooner or later I would need something better than a sports jacket to keep me warm.

"So brother, how have you been doing in class?" I asked trying to make small talk.

"Just fine, I got a…B in science." Liar.

"Really? Because if I remember correctly the science room had to be fumigated after what you did."

"Hey, that was one time!"

"Need I bring up the list?" I asked reaching for my journal.

"What list?" My hand stopped instantly as I found myself reaching into my empty bag.

"I…I'm not sure actually." Pulling my hand out I felt a hollow sensation in my body suddenly take over, "Must have been my imagination…but the number of times is still higher than it should be and you know it."

"Fine, fine…C minus."

"There we go." We chuckled for a moment before Lest stopped and looked out at the reservoir building up water.

"…So are things going alright in your classes Lily?"

"Yes! You keep asking that every day and I tell you the same thing."

"Well I'm your brother so of course I'm going to be worried about you."

"Well the only problems I've had are Kira and my brother who decided to give me the first problem."

"Alright, alright I get it. Geez, you've gotten a lot more confident in the way you talk you know."

"Blame Gareth, he's a hot blood of confidence."

"Gareth?" Another moment of emptiness passed.

"I…yeah, he's a good friend." I…lied…didn't I?

"Well I'd like to meet him."

"…Let's just get home, I'm kind of hungry."

"Well mom should have dinner ready by the time we get back. I hear it's your favorite."

"Clam chowder and ham!?"

"I don't know…might have let it slip in her mind before we left this morning." I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed tightly.

"Ohhhh thank you Lest! You're the best!"

"Well…you know." Mister modest over here.

As we sat down at the dinner table I watched as mom brought over the plate of ham and the bowls of clam chowder soup; I could feel my stomach grumble in anticipation as the smell wafted across my nose.

"Lily sit down. You're getting antsy." Dada said and I looked to see I had risen out of my seat; I quickly sat back down and covered my face as it turned red from embarrassment as Lest chuckled at me quietly.

"Oh don't worry honey. It is her favorite meal; of course she'd be a little over excited." Mother replied patting my head, "Now I hear you signed up for the school spelling bee tomorrow sweetie."

"Really? Well then I'll have to get off early to see you take down every one you face." Dad said with a big smile on his face as he cut the ham and served it out.

"Dad, you don't have to." I said actually hoping he wouldn't show up.

"Of course I do. Because with your study skills I'm willing to bet that you completely obliterate every other competitor you face."

"Well, Kira might be a bit of a problem." Lest said stabbing into his side of green beans with his fork.

"Oh, the nice girl who swore vengeance against Lily at the quiz off?" Mom asked taking a sip of her water.

"I'm not sure about her; she keeps coming by our house and saying that she will become the number one student at Smokey Hill High School." Dad said and I sighed as Lest chuckled.

"Speaking of, Lest there were four girls that stopped by looking for you." Mom said.

"Who stopped by? I can talk to them tomorrow about why they stopped by." Both me and my dad sighed openly.

"That's very responsible of you Lest."

"Son, we need to have a talk about your thought process when we get the chance." Dad said and Lest gave him a confused look.

"So Lily, do you think you'll do well tomorrow?" Mom asked.

"W-Well I'm sure I'll do fine." I answered.

"You'll win sis." Lest said and I punched him in the arm.

"Don't be a jinx son." Dad said before staring at me, "You didn't leave the house wearing that did you?" I looked down to see I was still wearing the red sports vest.

"I don't believe you did either." Mom said agreeing.

"…Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No!"

"Are you sure honey, your father won't kill him." Mom added.

"I don't have a boyfriend!"

"So she says."

"Lest!" Everyone was now staring at me waiting for me to say I had a boyfriend…but I won't say it!

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure your happy with it." …As I thought about that I felt my heart begin to race in happiness thinking about that…this is happening way too often for it to just be a coincidence…there's gotta be a reason for this.

"Well whatever it is…if you bring it home I will be forced to deal with it."

"I don't have a boyfriend!"

Once dinner was over I escaped into my room and tore my room apart looking for my diary; mom said whenever I'm feeling déjà vu I should look back on my diary, if I wrote it down then no amount of forgetting will keep me from figuring it out…no, not again…why does this feel so much worse than the others!? Tossing my glasses on my bed I started to rub my eyes with all my might as the tears threatened to flood my eyes and turn my face completely red; this isn't normal…none of this is normal and yet I can't just ignore it, it feels like when I turn away I'm leaving something important behind. Once my eyes were clear I took a deep, shaky breath and looked to see my journal sitting perfectly untouched on my desk. I opened the first page to find it was almost empty except for three names in bold on the page; Soren…Alice…and Gareth…what…what's this feeling…it feels like…those names are…really, really, really impo-

'KNOCK KNOCK' I jumped at the sudden knock at my door and fell onto the floor.

"It's bedtime Lily. Get to sleep so you can do your best tomorrow."

"…Okay dad…goodnight." As his footsteps moved away from my door I looked back at my desk to see my journal was gone again…and all that was left was a pair of black fingerless gloves and a hair tie…that felt like it was specifically for a ponytail.

The next day I got up earlier then everyone else without thinking and looked on my desk to see my empty journal sitting on top of the red vest, fingerless gloves and hair tie…as I got dressed I put on all of the items and tied my hair into a small ponytail before grabbing the journal and rushing out the door. As I walked to school alone I felt more insecure then I ever have before; it felt like the world was working against me and I had no way to fight it or figure out why…it just felt like I didn't belong in my world…or even my skin.

"Why are you here!?" I suddenly crashed into someone and I was surprised to see Kira standing at the steps to school; I looked around and was shocked to find I was actually standing at the entrance to school, I got here a lot faster than I expected to, "Have you come here to try to one up me on attendance as well…now that is one title I shall not forfeit!" She laughed uproariously and I giggled at her cockiness finding it…familiar.

"…Hey, do you want to hang out for a bit Kira?" I asked and she looked at me skeptically before smiling.

"Trying to find my secrets out. Just like my rival…but I wouldn't mind it if we spent some time together."

"Thanks…so what do you want to do?" I asked and she had a gleam in her eye.

"Well, I thought I would try my hand at schooling the chess team before school, give me a warm up before I study for the spelling bee." She grabbed my hand and pulled me with her over to the entrance of the school.

I was rocketed through the school until we came to a skidding stop in front of a classroom door; Kira opened it up and we walked into a mostly empty classroom except for the left side of the room where four other kids were currently huddled around a chess board and staring intensely at it.

"Fear not noble chess geeks for a challenge has arrived!" Kira shouted making all of them jump in their seats.

"I don't think they like being called chess geeks." I said.

"Irrelevant! Now shall you try your luck against the powerful Kira!" They all looked at her with worried expressions before she rushed over and sat down on the black side of the board, "Send me your most skilled players!" They all started to shiver slightly and backed away from the board; she always scared people like this when she got competitive.

"Please don't worry." I said trying to calm them, "She doesn't bite, I promise." They all looked at me skeptically before heading back over to the board; one of the guys sat down on the white side of the board and took a deep breath before straightening his glasses.

"Don't take the chess club lightly. We are a force of intense chess knowledge and strategies."

"Then it shall be an honor to thoroughly destroy you!" Kira replied and I giggled, she was definitely passionate about what she did…and I admire that a lot…another familiar feeling…but this feels right for some reason.

It was time for the spelling bee after school and I sat next to Kira on the stage as she pouted quietly; she had more trouble against the chess club than she thought she would and when it was over we decided to study in the library…needless to say it didn't go very well either.

"It's okay Kira; we can try against them tomorrow."

"Well…I suppose it would be nice to try again tomorrow…but you must be there so I can properly show my superiority."

"Hmhm…okay." We watched as the seats filled up slowly; eventually I saw my family take a seat in the front and felt my eyes water again, no…don't focus on it, "Lily…are you okay?" I looked over to see Kira had her hand on my shoulder in sympathy and in that moment she changed just as Lest and Dolce had into a boy with dark skin, short hair…and wearing the red vest I was currently wearing…!

"Now that everyone is here we shall begin! Our first competitor Lily Tesit will step up!" I stood up and approached the mic with confidence, "Alright, your first word is Determination." This place…this feeling…and my voice…are too quiet.

"…Determination. D, E, T, E, R, M, I, N…S, O, R, E, N. A, L, I, C, E. G, A, R, E, T, H."

"Um…I'm sorry but that isn't right."

"Yes…yes it is!" The crowd went silent and I looked at Kira, Lest and Dolce as they all gave me a confused look, "This…this is great, a normal childhood with great friends…but it isn't what I need to do right now. Even now my illusions won't let me forget those important to me…and what I've become because of them. Right now Soren, Alice and Gareth need me-" Extending my hand out I focused and watched as my weapon, Reaper appear in my hand, "-and I'm going to help them no matter what!" With a powerful swing at the air I watched as the world fell apart around me. I would never forget my family…but my future is waiting and I'm not letting my friends go alone…I'm not ready to stop, I'm going to keep moving until the end!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now is not the time to forget what's important...then again, you should never forget.


	7. Gareth

I gave a yawn as I poured through the various books on the table; I may need to study for tests but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy doing it, every time I look at a history book it feels like my eyes are going to roll back into my head to avoid it.

"Hey! Stay awake!" I felt Nelson grip my arm and shake bringing me back to my senses. Standing up I gave a full body stretch before slumping back into my seat and staring at the book in front of me.

"…I can't do this." I said shaking my head, "This is just too boring for me to actually pay attention to. I can't take it."

"Studying really is your Achilles heel isn't it?" Nelson said and I gave a low groan, "Well suck it up! If you don't pass that English test today then the wrestling team is going to be out their star player."

"You've been failing tests?" Samantha asked and I chuckled.

"Come on, you really expect me to be able to do well on tests? I'm the one that falls asleep in class." I replied.

"Yeah, the teachers REALLY get pissed at you for that stunt." Nelson said.

"Hey, I try my damndest to stay awake, I just can't help it."

"Do you ever pay attention?"

"I'm an action man! That's my thing!"

"Then you need a better thing." We all chuckled for a minute before returning to studying.

"So are you at least ready for the wrestling match?" Sam asked and I nodded with a big grin.

"You bet I am! Nothing gets my blood pumping faster than a good old fashioned match!"

"Heh, if that isn't true." Nelson added, "We're going up against Rangeview's wrestling team tomorrow so be careful; they've got some brutes on that team."

"I remember. Almost dislocated my arm against that one senior last year." Can't remember his name but I do remember he tried to brute force his way through me and knock me to the ground; didn't end well for him and I heard something snap in my hand, now I hear a click when I roll my wrist, "Nobody can beat Central as long as I'm here!"

"Yeah…but that won't happen if you don't study!" Nelson picked up a book before throwing it at me; catching it I took a seat next to Samantha and rested my head on my right hand as I read the passage about World War two.

"…You know…I wouldn't mind helping you out with this Gareth." Samantha said and I looked over at her.

"Really!? No joke!?" I asked enthusiastically and she giggled.

"Sure, if you fail then I wouldn't feel very good about it…so I'll read it to you."

"That's…not a bad idea; maybe he retains it better through word rather than text." Nelson said.

"That's my favorite kind of story." I replied.

"…Is that considered coincidental or oxymoronic?"

"I think it's a paradox." Sam offered.

"Are you guys insulting me?"

After the power study session we all headed to the history classroom for the big test; as I walked into the room I was surprised to see all eyes were on me, most of the boys were giving me cold glares while others were huddled and talking while exchanging cash. The girls were either rolling their eyes, looking smitten with me or doing the same money exchange move the boys were doing.

"Oh yeah-" Nelson said leaning in to whisper, "-there's a betting pool going on for whether or not you'll flunk the test. So don't lose, I need that money for what comes next."

"You bet on me?" I asked and he slapped my back.

"Don't sweat the small details. Now just pass that bet…I mean test." I chuckled before giving him a thumbs up.

"Should have taken double or nothing because I'm going to ace that test!"

"Yeah…just pass okay?" With those final words he walked over to his desk and sat down before handing a few bucks to one of the boys. As I walked over to my desk I looked to see Miss Fethia watching me with a glare; I've fallen asleep in her classes the most and I think she takes it kind of personally…well, time to prove her wrong…or right depending on what she's thinking. Taking a seat I waited for her to pass around the test and pulled out that blank journal again. I skimmed through the empty pages back and forth finding it a very strange journal to say the least; even with my very limited knowledge of journals this one was still very weird. The pages weren't very old but the condition of the cover and back as well as some of the pages having torn corners and burned areas showed this thing had gone through hell; made me wonder who owned this thing…and why it was in my bag. As I closed the book a piece of paper was placed on top of it and I looked up to see the teacher looking at me; as she moved on I put the book away and looked at the test paper…maybe that journal is older than I thought.

Once I finished up I was surprised to see I had finished before everyone else; when I put my pencil down I heard a few people scoff while others snickered and a few gasped, there were way too many opinions about me out there for me to be comfortable with. I placed the test face down and pulled the journal back out skimming through it again; I wasn't entirely sure why but this little book intrigued me to no end and made me want to keep looking at it…at least that's what my instincts were telling me. I poured through that book for anything I could see; even a pencil mark would have been a good sign at this point.

"Pencils down." I shot up from my book and looked to see the teacher coming around again and picking up the test papers; as she came over to me she looked at the book and back to me, "…That's a very old journal." She said.

"No, the pages are old but not very old, this thing has just been through hell." I replied.

"You've had it awhile then?"

"No, not even mine…but it is important. I know that much." She blinked before picking up my test and looking it over, "…Well done. A solid B paper."

"So I pass!?"

"Yes." As she said that I heard collective groans followed by one resounding cheer from my friend Nelson.

"Pay up suckers!"

As we walked home Nelson flipped through his cash with a grin on his face, seems a lot of people were against me on the test…nice to see one person didn't underestimate my abilities…well, temporary power study abilities anyway.

"Oh, easy money." He said putting it in his wallet.

"It seems rigged if you were helping out Gareth." Sam said walking on the other side of me.

"Hey, race horses are drugged so they bring in a larger bet at full strength, I call it an investment."

"So you underestimate me till the very end?" I asked.

"No, I know you've got what it takes, I've got your back on that at least. Even if you are a battle crazed freak." I laughed at his comment and as I looked back at him he had become a she; I saw a girl with black hair in a long pony tail and wearing a small green jacket with a white shirt and brown skirt, she wore simple sneakers and had a cold expression…but it felt friendly paired with a snide smile, and she had a katana strapped to her side. The second I blinked it turned back to Nelson and I stopped in my tracks for a moment in surprise; that…that was weird…

"Is something wrong Gareth?" Sam asked and I gave her a smile.

"Yeah…just my mind playing tricks on me is all." I replied continuing to walk.

"Well, now I've got the money for the match tomorrow." Nelson said, "Rangeview is getting a bit cocky so I'm sure they'd like to make a nice little wager against us for who's going to win."

"Really?"

"Yep, they think they have a winner this year so it'll be interesting to see what they pull out this time. They should know by now that no one is stronger than you." Damn right, they can't handle what I'm packing in both body and spirit.

"I'm sure you'll do great Gareth!" Sam said enthusiastically, "I'll be sure to cheer you on."

"Same here." Nelson added as we approached my house, "But I can't cheer for a sleepy guy all the time so get some rest for tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll see you guys tomorrow." I replied walking up the steps to my home. Stepping through the doors I found myself in front of my adopted family, "Hey mom, hi dad."

"Hello Gareth." They replied and I felt my smile widen to its full size, I loved this feeling.

As we sat down at the dinner table mom brought out the food and placed a plate down in front of me and dad before sitting down herself; as I reached for the food dad gave a small cough and pointed to mom who giggled and motioned for us to start.

"You can never wait can you?" Dad asked chuckling and I chuckled in response.

"He's a very eager boy. That's why he's such a good wrestler." Mom said and I gave her a thumbs up, "Speaking of, the match against Rangview is coming up tomorrow honey."

"Well then we'll have to come and see that." Dad said biting into the side of broccoli, "After all it's nice to see your wrestling matches. Your enthusiasm is contagious."

"That's my hook!" I replied and we all laughed, "…Hey quick question." I reached into my backpack and pulled out the empty journal, "Is this one of yours?" Mom reached for the book and flipped it open skimming through the pages before handing it to dad who did the same.

"…Well it's not mine." Mom said as dad handed it back.

"Or mine." Dad finished, "Where did you find it?"

"In my bag during lunch." I replied putting it away, "My instincts tell me it's really important though so I've been hanging onto it."

"Well it's probably someone at your schools. You should take it to lost and found tomorrow."

"Yeah probably." Looking back at my food I found my mind drifting to what tomorrow would be like. As far as I knew I was the best wrestler on the team and nobody seemed to mind that; the biggest problem was the other schools which all seemed to have a vendetta against me, I didn't mind though, that just meant they were willing to throw their best at me and I was more than happy to show them how intense my abilities were!

"You should probably get some practice in before the match." Dad offered, "If you want I can teach you a few moves that will show those idiots at other schools not to mess with a Spencer!"

"Don't worry dad, I'll show them plenty! They'll know exactly what Gareth Spencer can do!" With that confident assertion I stabbed into my steak and took a shark sized bite.

"That's my boy!"

"Oh, you men." Mom said with a giggle as we continued to enjoy dinner.

I leaped onto my bed and bounced twice before laying there motionless for a moment, a warm bed, hot meals, people who love me; even though it's been a year I'll never stop loving this feeling of home. I took a long stretch and looked over at my desk to see the book just lying there; I don't remember taking it out of my bag. I blinked and a pair of black fingerless gloves had suddenly appeared on top; I looked at it and took a slow blink, when I opened my eyes a green hair tie was on top of them…this isn't something I can blow off anymore. Getting up I moved over and opened the journal again seeing something was on the first page; different weapons were drawn with initials underneath each of them. A scythe with the initials L.T. under them, a battle axe with a simple G underneath it, a katana with the initials A.B. and a pair of longswords with the initials S.T. under them…wait…L.T.

"I know those initials." Flipping to the back of the book I saw the initials L.T. written on the back cover, "That's right, those are the same initials of the owner…but what are these others?" They seemed familiar but the weapons they were attached to ring like a bell in the back of my mind…ow…that hurts to focus on. Setting it down I moved over to the bed and lied down with a sigh; using my brain wasn't always my strongest skill and it's better to stop when your head starts to hurt. With a sigh I rolled over and let my mind empty as I drifted off to sleep. As I slept I saw visions of battles play through my head…the strangest part was that I was always there with three other people by my side…it felt right though.

When I woke up I looked out my bed side window to see the moon was still high in the sky illuminating the sky with stars; the stars were incredibly bright in the sky, I could even tell the constellations apart. Feeling a bit antsy I got up and slipped on the white hoodie, gloves and hair tie going with a wolf tail style as I grabbed the journal and stuffed it in my bag as I moved out the front door quietly and headed for the biggest hill I could find. Once I found my prime watch point for star gazing I headed up there and looked at every constellation I could find.

"…Big Dipper, Orion's Belt, Cygnus, Aquarius…hey look Lily, Lyra! And Soren, there's Ursa Major; Alice, Canis Major!" I stopped looking and shot up to look around me; nobody was with me but…it felt like someone should be…this feeling of loneliness…it feels weird…and yet right? Why?

I stayed there until the sun came up and followed the constellations until I found all of them and even a few I made up myself; like pedaling giraffe, dolphin jump, and running track disaster…hehe, I like that one the best. Getting up I looked at my phone to see it was almost time for school and rushed towards the school as fast as I could; as I rounded the corner to the front of school I suddenly slammed into something knocking both of us down.

"Oww…sorry, I was a little too excited." I apologized as I got up.

"Hehe…that's just like you isn't it?" I looked to see Samantha giggling at me and chuckled in response, "So are you ready for the…is that a wolf tail?"

"Huh? Yeah, I decided to try something else."

"It…it looks nice."

"…Thanks." For a moment I watched as she changed to a girl with dark red hair and half frame glasses; she wore the white hoodie I was currently wearing with a large scythe on her back and holding…the book! I blinked and she changed back to Samantha, "…So what do you want to do? I've got nothing to do until the wrestling match so I'm up for anything."

"Oh! Well…would you mind if we just spent some time in the library together? I was thinking we could read a few books together."

"…You know what? I'd like that. I've been feeling a bit unsure so maybe a bit of slow down time would do me good."

"Then let's go!" Samantha replied with a wide smile as she grabbed my hand and led me inside the school.

I sat down next to Sam as she opened up one of the fiction books on the shelf; she had pulled out Alice in Wonderland and began reading it as I felt a certain…calming feeling as she read the story of the girl falling down the rabbit hole.

"So she fell down the rabbit hole and continued to follow the rabbit despite the situation she was in?" I asked and Sam thought for a moment.

"It does seem strange that she didn't take in her situation. Maybe she thought the rabbit would be able to get her back home." Sam offered.

"Eh…maybe she just followed her gut instinct." Sam giggled at my idea.

"Not everyone uses the same methods you do."

"Still…you know I've been a bit unsure lately. I feel like my mind is playing tricks on me, my gut and my mind are a bit in a bind over this." I put my head down on the table and took a deep breath as my stomach did a small flip, "Not exactly good for the mind or the meal." Suddenly a felt someone run their fingers through my short hair.

"Don't worry Gareth. I'm sure whatever problems you're having will go away if you wait long enough."

"…Yeah…I'm sure you're right." I wasn't sure how long we had spent just sitting there as she comforted me but when I looked up at the clock it was almost the end of the school day. We had spent most of the day in the library and missed all of our classes…I must have fallen asleep…it doesn't feel like I did though; it's good the only stipulation was the test or I might be kicked off the match for missing all my classes, "It's almost time for the match!" I shot up from my seat making Sam jump slightly before standing up and closing the book.

"Then let's go show Rangview what we've got!"

"Damn right!" I replied feeling excited for the match as all my unsure feeling faded into the background.

Bursting through the gym doors I was shocked to see the seats were completely filled and the sound of chattering and talking could be heard echoing off the walls; in the distance I could see the Rangview wrestling team sitting on one side of the gym while my team sat nearby on my side of the gym.

"There you are!" I looked over to see Nelson giving me a very pissed look, "You were missing all day man! Where were you!?"

"In the library with Sam." I replied pointing to Sam who waved to him.

"All day!? I had to make an excuse that you had a ten hour flu and were riding out the last five hours of it!"

"How did you pull it off without a doctor's note?" Sam asked and he pulled one of the nurse's notes out of his pocket.

"Never underestimate my ability to get what I need. I owe the Nurse a sixty-forty cut of the money I make off this though."

"She let you bribe her?"

"Don't think it was that simple, cougars…demand a bit of flirting."

"Okay, that's too much information." Sam said stopping him, "As much fun as it would be to hear what happened, I think we get the idea."

"I'd like to hear it." I said making them give me a weird look, "…what?"

"Gareth! You finally showed up!" I looked over to see the coach of the team looking a bit more worried than usual, "We're in a bit of a bind champ!"

"What's up?" I asked and he pointed to the main ring where a kid was standing there stretching; he seemed pretty skinny for this weight class in wrestling, "What about him?"

"We weren't having any trouble until this kid showed up! He took down everyone!"

"…He's the smallest one of the group! How can we beat Mutant Pete but not this kid?!" Mutant Pete was a hulking monstrosity of a freshman…almost lost an arm to that kid.

"I don't know! It was weird! He didn't even wrestle! He caved in on his opponents and flipped them around so much nobody could even touch him!"

"It was really weird to watch." Nelson added, "Like watching a smaller animal open its jaws and engulf a larger animal in one fell swoop." Oh…that was an image…

"Fine, I'll cream the kid like corn!" I said cracking my knuckles as my pulse raced.

Once I was changed into my wrestling uniform I stepped back out and rushed into the ring with increased enthusiasm that boiled my blood to its core. I looked at the boy who seemed rather calm about the whole situation; he smiled at me and gave a wave which confused me and made my blood calm down weirdly enough.

"Hey, you must be the big hotshot who's been making our school look bad for a while. Names Kevin, just call me Kev though."

"Heh, pretty calm for such a 'scary' opponent."

"Scary?"

"You made my coach freak out. It was actually pretty funny." Kevin chuckled slightly.

"Yeah…sorry about that. He looked ready to eat his clipboard." I laughed at the thought of that.

"Oh man! I would have loved to see that!"

"Well, let's have a good match!" This kid was alright; he had moxie and a certain charm I couldn't quiet place.

"Then let's go!" I rushed at him and widen my arms to grab but he quickly dashed to the side out of reach; I swerved my body crashing into the mat but sliding just to the edge of the ring in time before standing up and jumping back to the center. I rushed at him staying on my feet and shot my hand out to grab him as he stepped back before grabbing my hand and trying to pull me forward; I crouched and pulled back trying to pull Kevin towards me as he did the same; this kid had fire...this was my kind of challenge, "You know Kev, for a small kid you've got some kind of strength to resist me!"

"Heh, glad I can impress." I smirked at his comment as I tightened my grip.

"Not enough though, I can still throw you around!" I swung my arms with all my strength and sent Kevin flying across the ring; he stuck his feet into the ground and came to a sliding halt as he chipped the edge of the ring as he stumbled before standing up straight, "Still standing? You're more resilient then I gave you credit for."

"I don't go down easy! Not when I give it my all!" In that moment Kevin changed into a boy with brown scruffy hair and wearing a black jacket and two longswords strapped to the back of his waist…oh man…you never steer me wrong do you gut? I guess compared to them…this place has no depth at all does it?

"I guess I should do the same…huh Soren?" Standing up straight I shot my hand out and gripped my hands as tight as I could as my battle axe Earthbreaker appeared in my hands, "I'm not ready to I'll see you soon buddy!" Raising it up I felt my pulse slow down to its calm pace and I smiled feeling even more confident then when my blood boils. With a thunderous swing I shattered the ground around me and fell into the darkness. I can't be distracted right now; my friends need me; we've all fought hard to stay as we are and I'll be damned if I'm going to leave them on their own even for a moment! I may not be a hero…but I'm going to fight my hardest regardless…because that's just who I am and what I want to do…not for glory or fame…but for those I care about…I will keep going until the end!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We can't give up. Not now, not ever.


	8. Alice

"Whew! That was a workout I'm proud of!" I said stretching my arms as Tina sighed.

"If you keep acting like that then you're going to repel all men."

"Don't exaggerate. I enjoy what I do and I do it well."

"Yep, men repellent is definitely a great skill." I gave her a piercing glare as she giggled at me and I gave a small laugh in return, "It's too bad Derek wasn't there today."

"Oh Derek, his eyes are like serene pools of blue you can get lost in for hours." I leaned against my locker and gave out a longing sigh as I thought about my future boyfriend; I had the opportunity of a lifetime with the dance coming tomorrow and I wasn't about to pass it up, this was my moment to reel in the big catch and I was going to reel it in, "This will be my catch of the day!"

"Alice, you're not making any sense…again."

"Like you're any better. I saw you fall asleep in film class yesterday. We were watching Grave Encounters and you passed out like you were just put to sleep by a lullaby."

"What can I say? Horror movies bore me."

"That makes one of us."

"If that's not true." I turned around to see my other friend Harry pushing up his glasses with a sigh, "Your tolerance for horror movies is akin to being raised with very open serial killers and asking to join in."

"That hurts Harry." Tina said being dramatic, "You wound me."

"I doubt it." I chuckled at their banter and turned back to open my locker; as it swung open I took a step back in shock as a book came tumbling out of the top and landing on the ground in front of me.

"What the-" I picked it up and looked back at my locker to see it was as clean as I left it before, there wouldn't even be a spot for it to fall from my mostly empty locker…and from the top!?

"What's that?" Tina asked looking over my shoulder.

"Looks like a journal." Harry added as I picked it up and examined it. It looked ratty and worn with some of the edges on pages burned while others looked water damaged; the pages inside were completely empty but the pages had smudged pencil marks meaning someone had written in it…but there was no letter press marks on any of the pages which made this even weirder considering some of the pages looked untouched. I doubt someone would softly write in a journal like this which meant this was an untouched…yet used journal.

"Weird…it's like its' own anomaly book." Even with how weird this book was on its own…I couldn't help but slip it into my bag before grabbing my notebook for math and closing my locker, "Now we've all got math in a few minutes so let's head out, I don't feel like being late for class.

"Seconded." Harry added straightening his glasses.

"Come on, class is boring!" Tina whined, "You know I heard there's something living down in the boiler room of the school? Apparently there are unnatural sounds of scraping metal and breaking wood. I kind of want to check it out. What about you two?"

"…Sounds fabricated in order to escape class." Harry said bluntly, "It would be interesting though."

"That's one!" Tina turned to me with hopeful eyes and a wide grin, "Come on Alice, what do you say?" I rolled my eyes.

"Really? You think I'd miss class to chase a school myth?"

"Well you're absolutely right." I finished as we stood at the entrance to the schools basement level.

"I knew I could count on you. You are my rock." Tina said gripping my arm as she smiled.

"Get over yourself." I replied pushing her away and reaching for the door handle. Before I could even touch it the knob began to jiggle making all of us immediately move to the side of the door as it opened up and blocked our view of the opening. As we all remained quiet I could hear footsteps moving as someone gave a yawn before the footsteps echoed away from us as the door began to close; I grabbed the knob quickly and took a look over to side to see the janitor walk away as we all quietly made our way through the doorway and quietly closed the door behind us. I heard the sound of creaking metal and hissing steam as we descended down the stairs; the heat it all generated was almost too much to take and I found myself wishing I had a hand fan.

"Man, whatever lives down here must really like heat." Harry said as he removed his jacket and slung it over his shoulder. Tina did the same with her stylish jacket discarding it to Harry who put it with his jacket. I took a huff as I grabbed for my black jacket to take it off…but my hands refused to move at all; as though taking it off would be very bad…stupid hands. As we descended I could hear the faint sound of metal being hit echo out and knocked into Harry as he and Tina came to a stop upon hearing the same sound.

"Well…this has been fun, let's head back!" Tina turned around and I rolled my eyes before stepping past Harry and her before continuing down the steps.

"Don't chicken out when you suggested it in the first place." I said taking lead as they both slowly followed behind me. The volume continued to increase as we moved down and the heat only intensified until I could feel the sweat on my brow turn into a pools worth of liquid; why does the school need this much steam? It's insanity! Eventually we came to the end of the stairs which ended with a doorway to a dimly lit room…and a shadow coming from the covered area of the room…great, perfect death of three teenagers moment.

"…We should turn back…i-immediately." Harry said slightly shivering as his glasses bounced on his face.

"…Let's go." I said stepping in before suddenly being pulled back by two hands.

"Are you nuts!? This is the horror movie situation where EVERYONE dies!" Tina yelled at me.

"Where did your enthusiasm go?" I asked.

"I'm not stupid Alice."

"Don't lie."

"Fine, I'm thinking about Harry, what if we break his tender mind?"

"What did I say about lying!?"

"Fine, It's hot! At this rate I'm going to grow moss in areas I'd rather not mention in front of boys, it would completely kill my dating chances."

"…See that I believe. Now come on, let's go see what this is."

"Why are you so interested in things like this?" Harry asked, "All data would point to you being cynical and not even giving this hoax a chance."

"Cynical? Are you saying I'm cold-blooded!?"

"…Yes." …This kid was smart…a bit too smart sometimes.

"What can I say? I'm a cold girl with a hot-blooded love for exploration." Turning back around I walked through the opening and coming to a stop as the sound of snapping wood echoed through the room. Before I could even turn I felt something hit my head knocking me to the ground.

"Oh! Are you okay Alice!?" Tina asked helping me up as I rubbed the new bump on my head.

"What the hell hit me!?" I looked on the ground to see chunks of wood nearby…wait…that's timber bamboo, "Did I get hit with a kendo sword? Who's throwing these things!?"

"I believe him." Harry said directing our attention to a boy standing across from us with half a kendo blade in his left hand.

"Woah…didn't expect to see others down here today…or any day for that matter." I looked at the boy and felt my blood boil as I stormed over to him.

"Are you a complete moron!?"

"What!?" He asked in shock.

"I just got hit by your stupid sword so you better have a good reason for hitting me on the head!"

"I didn't mean to! I didn't even expect others to come down here."

"What are you doing down here?" Tina asked, "I didn't think students were allowed in the boiler room."

"They're not…under normal circumstances. I pulled a few favors to get them to let me use this place for training."

"Wait…you're that guy from the kendo club!"

"Kendo club?" I asked, "Doesn't sound like a thing."

"That's…because I'm the only member." He backed up and spread his hands out towards the whole room, "Welcome to the Kendo club room!" Suddenly a gasket blew and he was consumed in steam. The steam dissipated and he was revealed to be placing a piece of duct tape over the opening, "Sorry, that happens sometimes."

"This is the worst room for any club." Harry said cleaning his glasses.

"It was the only room left."

"Can we specify 'only room' please?" Tina asked.

"Very funny. Wait…what are you three doing down here?"

"We heard there was a monster down here." Harry said.

"Um…no, just me as far as I know…and you guys now. Nice to meet you by the way."

"Yeah, you make stellar first impressions." I said waving the piece of bamboo in my hand, "Speaking of-" Reeling back I struck him in the head with the piece of wood.

"OW!"

"That's for hitting me you idiot! Now why the hell are you the source of the rumors!?"

"I don't know. What have people been saying?"

"That there's been weird metal scraping and wood snapping."

"Also once they heard an explosion." Tina added and the boy chuckled uncomfortably.

"Well…boilers can…blow on occasion…and a missed strike can lead to that."

"So you caused the explosion!" I yelled grabbing his collar, "You blew my chance with Derek last week you moron!"

"Oh…sorry."

"You owe me blood!"

"Wait wait wait wait! I can fix this! I can hook you up with him!"

"What the hell can you do!?" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper waving it in my face.

"I share most of the same classes with him and we're partners for a science project. I can get him to think about asking you out."

"You better work fast then. The dance is tomorrow and I want to ask him to it."

"Then just ask him." Wrong answer! I shook him violently for a moment before stopping, "I…the room is…not straight."

"Let's try that again."

"I'll help! Just don't shake me again."

"Good." I put him down as he dusted himself off, "Now…what are you looking at?" I backed up slightly and watched as he looked directly at my chest…oh god, "Eyes off perv!"

"What? No, I just like your style. Black doesn't seem like your color though."

"What do you know? Don't judge me!"

"Geez Alice calm down." Tina said putting her hand on my shoulder.

"…This idiot ruined my chances with Derek, I have no mercy for him."

"I didn't mean to."

"That just makes it worse." I sighed before turning back to him, "Alright well you're coming with me. If you're going to talk me up to Derek then you're going to need to know more about Alice. Since lunch is coming up next we're going to spend some time together."

"I feel like I'm going to learn more about a girl then I ever thought I would." He replied chuckling.

"Shut it stick boy."

"Actually my name is-"

"Doesn't matter, I'm calling you stick boy for now."

"Man, you really pissed her off." Tina said giggling at stick boy who sighed openly.

After we were able to pull him out of the boiler room and hosed him with some deodorant we pulled him along to the cafeteria; luckily we got there at the end bell for classes so we were able to be first in line.

"So this is the cafeteria. Interesting." Stick boy said grabbing a carton of milk.

"Have you never been to the cafeteria?" Harry asked and he chuckled.

"Did you ever get out of the boiler room?" I asked in amazement at his obliviousness.

"Well, I really wanted to get better at kendo."

"Why? You were the only member!"

"Well…it's more complicated than that."

"You sure you're not just crazy?" Tina asked.

"I-I'm not crazy!" Tina laughed uproariously at him and I chuckled at her teasing.

"This is going to be fun."

"Don't drive people away please." Harry asked.

"Don't worry Harry, I've got him by the short hairs so tease him all you like." I said and Tina laughed darkly making stick boy speed up. Once I had gathered my food I followed him out and we all took a seat at a round table with stick boy across from me.

"So, what do I need to know about Alice?" He asked.

"Well first thing is-"

"She's cold and favors glaring at people." Harry said and I shot a glare at him, "Kind of like that."

"She also really likes to go exploring, one time she even ditched class to go explore an old cave. When she came back she was covered in sewage sludge…turns out it fed into the sewer."

"Okay! Enough out of both of you! Go eat somewhere else!" I shooed them away and I heard both of them laugh before heading off. As I watched them leave their images seemed to change into two other people; a dark skinned boy with black hair in a red vest took Tina's place while a girl with red hair and glasses wearing a white hoodie took Harry's place. The second I blinked they changed back and I sat there staring at them…my eyes must be playing tricks on me.

"So…you like exploring?" I turned back to him and sighed.

"Yes, I enjoy going new places and finding new things. It's fun to just go looking for something in general."

"…I get that." I gave him a quizzical look as he bit into his chicken sandwich.

"Really? Don't you spend most of your time in the basement?"

"Maybe at school but I still enjoy exploring nearby woods and even just go on walks to see what I find on the street."

"What gets left on the streets?"

"I actually found a two dollar bill yesterday." Woah, those aren't very common…not bad stick boy, "So what about you?"

"Well…I once found this really old bottle cap from a coke bottle in the mud after a rainy day. It was from eighteen-ninety two when there company started. Can you believe that?"

"Wow that sounds pretty amazing. Hey, have you ever gone into a shutdown construction site and started digging things up?"

"Yeah…I um…ended up on the news one time because of it." He went wide-eyed before he started to chuckle and I felt my cheeks heat up, "Jeez, why am I telling you this!?"

"I don't know…but I think it's pretty cool. You've got fire Alice and that's pretty cool."

"…Thanks."

"So tell me, what do I need to know about Alice?" As I stared at stick boy his face began to flow through my mind intensely. My mind became flooded with memories at such an intense rate I felt my head threatening to split open at the seams and pour onto the table; I gripped my head tightly and felt my body flail uncontrollably against my will. What the hell was happening!? Why is everything feeling so weird and off base…is it these thoughts? These memories!? No…this place, this scene, this aroma…and this color…it's all wrong!

"Alice! Are you okay!?" Stick boy stood up and rushed over to me in worry. As he reached his hand out I smacked it away and looked at stick-…no…at Soren.

"No…I'm not okay! None of this is okay!" Standing up I looked over at Soren and felt my rage build, "Even if you act like him…even if you all act like those I know…it's not the same. You're not them!" I gripped at the black jacket I was wearing, "This isn't your black jacket…it's Soren's." Reaching into the inner pocket I pulled out a small folded red sports jacket, "This isn't Tina's…it's Gareth's." Putting it away I pulled out the red journal, "And this isn't Harry's, it's Lily's." Putting it back in the pocket I gripped at my white shirt, "And this…it isn't me. This isn't my scene, I don't want to play this part, I don't want to play something I'm not, I hate those who are fake and I refuse to let go of what's important to me…so I'm going to fight because it's who I am…and I'm going to keep hold of all those close to me no matter what!"

"Alice…"

"So just shut up now…I'm going to hold onto who I am, I've fought this hard to keep my identity and I'm not about to give it up after everything that's happened. Maybe it's not all glorious moments but it's still times and experiences I don't want to ever give up!" I gripped my fist tightly and felt something materialize in my grip, "Even…even if this is as far as I ever get…and these are the last steps I ever take again…I never want to fall back into that darkness they helped pull me out of." I raised my right hand and saw my katana Enchanter in it, "So for Lily, for Gareth…and for Soren…I'll keep moving forward and fight for those who would fight for me!" With one swift motion I sliced across the air in front of him and watched as a line suddenly appeared where I cut and the world around me split into two and opened up into a white void that I felt pull at me...and I was more than willing to fly into it and towards the real me…I don't want a new beginning…I want to keep going until the very end!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't look for a new beginning, keep moving forward.


	9. Sor-

As the bell rang I stretched in my seat giving a long yawn as I heard other students start to file out of the classroom chatting and making all kinds of noise. Once I felt my body was willing to move I grabbed my books and walked out of the classroom in no particular hurry; I had next period off so I could do anything I wanted to.

"Hmm…maybe I could head to the cafeteria for a bit…nah. The library might be nice…it's quiet and I could just sit and relax for a bit…and talk to myself like a freak in the middle of the hallway." With a long sigh I came to the stairs and headed down towards the first floor of the school; as I passed through the halls of the school I was surprised to find the area surprisingly empty and even the air had no sound to it. It was like I was the only one in the school…I wonder where my friends are right now; I'm sure at least a few of them had this period off as well…it kind of feels like I'm the only one in the entire school…it feels weird though. As I walked through the hall and I could actually hear the echoes of my footsteps…and suddenly my mind flashed to the inside of a dark dungeon…a desolate castle…and the hall of an extravagant building leading to a large set of double doors.

…

"…Stop…no…NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and heard the sound of cracking glass before a full shatter left me in a white void room, "Not again- never again! You won't make me forget them again! I refuse to let that happen ever again!" I looked up into the pure white of the sky, "I won't lose those memories ever again! For their sake and for mine! So you better stop right now because I'm not falling into that void no matter what! Not while my friends are fighting just as hard as I am!"

"…I figured." I whipped my head around to see Owen standing there, "You wouldn't be stopped by the same method twice."

"You're damn right I won't!" I screamed back, "None of us will be fooled by your tricks!" Owen chuckled at my statement and held his arms out.

"Maybe so but I don't care about those others…I'm mostly sick of you."

"What's your problem with me!? What have I done to deserve this level of scorn!?" Suddenly the air changed drastically as an aura of pure rage exploded off of Owen making me step back in shock and fear.

"…I'm sick of you Soren. No matter where I go all I can hear is that advice you gave me…and how it brought me to this place and time."

"What?" Owen outstretched his hand and opened it slowly as a pure pitch black shroud exploded and enveloped both Owen and myself entirely; I scrambled with all my might to break it but felt my consciousness fade into nothingness again.

When I opened my eyes I was surprised to find I was standing in front of Rangview High school…it looked different though; the air was softer and more wistful then it was before, the sound of football practice could be heard far off in the distance but that's all my ears could focus on, I couldn't take in any other sound then the football at play and the players who seemed to fight each other for control. Wandering over to the football field I looked into the sky to see the orange of the sunset lighting up the sky; the leaves on the tree matched that same orange…but none looked brown or green, they were stuck in perpetual orange colors…it was like we were stuck in the middle of pure autumn. Once I made it to the field I could see the group practicing with all their might, they all pushed and pulled for control with intense eyes that seemed to yearn for perfection…except for one, his eyes seemed hollow…hollower then anyone who played football should be. I watched him with a feeling of shock and worry; while his eyes were lifeless and uninterested his body seemed more capable than anyone else on that field…in fact now that I notice, all the others had their eyes glued to this one boy who was just moving through the motions like it was nothing. As I watched I could feel nothing…except wonder and a hint of sadness at this boy.

"An interesting boy isn't he?" I turned to see Owen standing next to me, fully clothed in his cloak, "Would you believe me if I told you that was me?" I looked back at the boy, his hair was messy and long and seemed to cascade down his face naturally; what parts of his body I could see were clean and not covered in those burn marks that painted my last image of Owen like a splash color piece of art…was this really the same person?

"That was you?" He nodded before pulling back his hood to reveal his singed, straight up hair.

"Yes…before I became a traveler. I was the best football player in the entire school and I was comfortable with that…but maybe comfortable was the wrong word to use. I was who I was and that was okay with me…I was content with it."

"So you accepted who you were?"

"Yes…until this day." Suddenly the scene around me sped up until we were standing in front of a hallway; younger Owen was standing in front of a boy holding a kendo blade…wait…that's me!

"N-No way…" I watched in shock as this version of me, with a smile plastered on his face. I watched as they chatted for a moment about a bet and I found myself chuckling at my carefree nature, to just approach someone and ask to hit them out of the blue…even I knew it wasn't normal…so why does it make my heart beat fast and my hands long to grab that version of me.

"Yes, this is you…maybe not the same person you are…but someone just as fascinating." Owen said shocking me out of my daze, "It was the moment I found myself wondering, 'is this idiot for real?' It made me wonder how crazy you were…and that's why I let you go on with your stupid bet." I looked back to see young Owen crashed to the ground as I thrust forward with a confident look, "Imagine my surprise when you actually took me down. I thought I was invincible, unmovable…but you moved me from my spot effortlessly." When I looked back I saw that same smile back on my face as he helped Owen up. Suddenly I heard a familiar voice and was shocked to see Alice standing behind me; I watched as both myself and Alice chattered about the bet and I chuckled...it felt like I was watching our usual conversations. I looked down at younger Owen to see he had a pissed of expression on his face as he looked at the two of them.

"Conversation like that was tedium in my mind at that time. Pointless chattering that served no purpose other than to create an illusion of friendship."

"…Did you not have any friends?" Owen's hands gripped tightly into a fist.

"I was placed on a pedestal with my strength and ability to pick things up quickly. Over a month I had become a black belt without effort and skill like that can make others envious…friends weren't a luxury I could attain." The world rocketed through time again until we were standing in a large empty room with all three of them along with Gareth and Lily standing by as well, "And yet here was a boy who could take me down with ease…with three friends no less." Time sped up again but when it stopped we were standing in the same room again…but all four of them were eating ramen as Owen entered with a very pissed off look on his face.

"Talking with them like there's nothing else you want to do."

"…Because there really is nothing else I'd rather do."

"…Of course…but it pissed me off to no end. I even tried to fight you again…and lost. You really were strong."

"I doubt I was stronger than you."

"…That's what they said. Then I heard something interesting. You were passionate."

"Passionate? About what?"

"…Helping others…and interesting enough, it resonated with me."

"Passion…"

"Then I was given advice I took to heart…to find something I'm passionate about…to find my purpose and use my strengths for something meaningful…and I found it that day." Time sped until we were standing outside the school again; the sun was starting to set. Owen pointed up and I was shocked to see a girl standing on the edge of the roof as the wind billowed behind her; my eyes were glued to her as my heart raced…then she fell forward making my heart lurch. Before I could even move I watched as another figure dove from the roof and dove off the edge at the girl; once he came close he outstretched his arms and wrapped them around the girl. As soon as he touched her a bright light enveloped both of them and in a flash they had completely disappeared with nothing left behind…not even a trace of my racing heartbeat was left behind…it was like it never happened in the first place, "Had I known what had transpired this day…I still wouldn't hesitate to save her…because the moments I had with her were more important than I could describe in an essay…or even a book." The world around us seemed to melt away; the color of the sky and the autumn of the trees faded into black and purple as the school turned into a giant castle surrounded by a lake of fire and overshadowed by a dark night sky, "For me…this was the start of something amazing."

We walked into the castle slowly and I looked around surprised at the appearance of monsters and demons that were more apparent than any humans in the area…and even the humans gave off this weird feeling. When we crossed into a strange dungeon room I looked around in surprise at the scenery; there was a medical clinic near the back next to a strange shop and beside that was a giant magical gate; to the other side were two cages and standing in the middle of them were two people…a boy with blue hair and a scarf and a red headed girl with skimpy clothing and sporting a pair of small wings and a devil tail.

"Disgaea."

"That's right. My first travel was to the Netherworld in Disgaea." I looked in to see both Owen and the girl sitting in front of them with pure confusion plastered on their faces, "Although I guess Nina didn't know exactly where she was. I only knew because of my one time experience with it, all I knew was where I was, not what would happen."

"…It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"Well…I wouldn't change it anyway." Time move more quickly than ever as we spiraled through event after event. Fights, events, talks, meetings; it was like a bullet train of important moments and emotions…not just his though, Sukia, the twins…even the shapeshifter was there all bouncing off the wall with their conversations and emotions, "Through these moments with everyone I found myself not wanting to be anywhere else…especially when I was with her." Everything re-winded until we were back at the starting point, then it all sped up again as the only moments coming in were the moments where it was just Owen and Nina; over and over again, re-winding before cycling through it again and again.

"It's small…but you find them important."

"…Yes, more than I can ever describe. Which makes the moment right after the last more vibrant then any." The last scene of the two of them seemed to stick around for a full minute before it changed…suddenly an image of that girl enveloped in a bright light, in an instance she disappeared, replaced by a purple lilac flower; off in the corner I saw Owen with a look of pure shock on his face, his eyes had become as hollow as hers, "In an instant…I lost her…and everything I had fought for faded. Replaced by an emotion I had only felt before I was inspired by her."

"Rage."

"Rage, anger, contempt, sorrow; they all blended together into a black mass then sent my body into shock and my lungs howling like an siren. Everything turned white as my voice faded into nothingness. When it all came back I was standing in a dusty field; a barren wasteland that was left open to the cruel wind of the world…the world I destroyed with my rage. In that moment it was all gone because she was." The scene changed again until we were standing in, what I could only assume, was what was left of the world of Disgaea; an empty world…it even had the feeling of a bland world, nothing to it at all.

"This is what a Traveler can do?" I grabbed a handful of the rough sand that covered the ground and watched as it slipped through my fingers back to the ground and blew into the wind, not even the sand knew what it was in this place, "It's horrible, so much destruction with a simple emotion."

"A destructive power; to reduce a world to nothing; to glass a universe with just your emotions…dangerous in the wrong hands…but a necessary power." He raised his fist and I looked to see it was trembling, "In a way, I'm still following my purpose…this is the only way I can attain my purpose and it's what I need to do!"

"What you need to do…or what you think is the only way?" Suddenly I felt something collide with my face and spiraled to the ground.

"You have no room to talk! To speak like that like you understand everything! What the hell do you even know!?" As I stood up he looked back into the distance. "That's what I hate about you Soren. You fill others with hope with your philosophies and understanding nature…and when it all comes crashing down then all that hope you gave others swirls into a black despair that hurts more than anything…and yet-" Time sped up again and suddenly I was in a dungeon and what stood before me was Owen who gave off that intimidating aura he did the first time we met. Next to him were Lily, the shapeshifter and the Gemini Twins, "-you fought until the bitter end…when I saw you in that world I felt my hands tense and my pulse race with rage…and then they fell into place before my very eyes." I looked to my sides to see Alice and Gareth fade into existence, "Even when I thought it was just a coincidence my perfect plans began to fall apart slowly." Lily faded away and I looked again to see her appear on my side and then replaced by Sukia on Owen's side, "To make others second guess their resolve and rethink their goals…to draw people to you…it pisses me off to no end." He swept his cloak away and revealed a broken master sword in his hand, a missing left arm and a bruise on his stomach, "To think that you were able to cause this much damage to me just brings me back to that moment. That moment when I looked up at you because you had knocked me down…it just reminds me that there will always be someone who can move me from my spot."

"Owen…"

"That's why I can't let you interfere…no matter what I will keep you here until my plan is complete. I knew Sukia would not be able to keep you fully…so I strengthened the hold of the effect. I won't let you get up so easily." We stood there in silence for a moment before I started to laugh, "What's so funny?"

"Maybe it's true that I was able to knock you on your butt…but I didn't do it alone…even if you like to believe otherwise. The others were beside me…and that's why I won't stop struggling. Because they're there I'm going to fight for them…they give me the strength to fight." I held out my hand and took a deep breath, "It wasn't me who took your hand, that was Gareth. The one who broke that blade was Alice, Gareth and Lily; I was just the catalyst for their power. And that bruise was the will we all had to protect each other…and I know for a fact that feeling is still there…no matter how far away.

"Soren!" That was Lily's voice. A white beam shot down in front of my hand.

"Soren!" There's Gareth. A red beam came down next to the white one.

"Soren!" And Alice. A green beam came down and stood near the other two.

"Not just them though. Everyone is a part of this moment, all of my friends are standing here and I'm not about to let them down!" Voices of all my friends poured in as beams continued to pour from the sky and once they were all assembled I took tight grip of all of them and watched as they fused into one bright light with no color and yet all of them at once until it flashed turning into a simple longsword of steel, "You can't stop me Owen…because I'm going to fight my hardest for everything I still have. So watch out! I'm not giving up until I win!" With one fell swing the world rumbled and cracked bringing in blinding light of all different colors that shined down on me until it all shattered into a stain glass color show.

"…Then I'll be waiting for you Soren…show me what you've got!" As I began to fade I looked at the sword in my hand and smiled; everyone is depending on me to give it my all…and their adding their power to help me get there…so I'm not giving up here. Alright Soren, time to give it our all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't give up. Not with everything you've fought for backing you up.


	10. Our Fights

I could feel someone shake me vigorously as I opened my eyes; I looked to see Alice, Gareth and Lily all giving me worried looks before they sighed in relief, I was glad to see they were okay as well. Standing up I dusted myself off and looked over at Alice who handed me my jacket before I slipped it back on.

"Thanks." I said and she nodded.

"Ditto…everyone." She said and they all nodded, "We only got out because of each other."

"Yeah…I probably would have been stuck in there if not for you guys." Gareth said with a hearty chuckle.

"Same…but I won't give up yet!" Lily said confidently and I nodded.

"Let's do this." They all nodded in reply and I looked at the end of the large room to see two heavy double doors; rushing towards them I put all my weight against them as the rest did the same, eventually it creaked at moved opening into a long dark hallway. We all looked at each other before dashing into the darkness as quickly as we could.

We sprinted through as fast as we could; we had to make it to Owen before he could put his plan into action…but I'm still not sure if what we know is true, something seems missing from this whole equation. As we moved through the darkness I felt something crawl up my spine and lurched back as something swung down just where my head was; when I stopped the other stopped moving and we stood there in the darkness until I heard a scoff and a bright light filled the room. It was a circular room with stone walls and floor; at the other end stood the Gemini Twins who just eyed us with blank stares before rushing at me. I quickly drew my blade and swung parrying the girls' staff strike as Alice jumped forward and blocked the boys' cleaver strike; we both jumped to the side as Gareth and Lily rushed in striking at both of them sending them flying backwards.

"They're stronger." The boy said getting up.

"Indeed." The girl replied doing the same. They stood there as their bodies began to morph until I was staring at myself and Alice just across from us.

"Damn…they don't need each other to take on one form anymore." Alice said brandishing her Enchanter.

"Guess they weren't just playing games while we made our way here." Gareth commented putting Earthbreaker on its chain.

"We're going to have to fight our way through." Lily said changing Reaper to a quarterstaff.

"Let's go!" I said changing to blade staff and rushing forward. I swung at myself as he jumped up and tried kicking at my face as I quickly spun my weapon blocking his foot and spinning into it hitting his side sending him flying against the wall as he got up.

"Speed x2" He zipped around in a blur before appearing next to me and thrusting forward catching me off guard as I took the blow sending me reeling back. Getting my footing back I focused on my other me and watched as it changed into Gareth. (Power x2) Rushing forward I changed back into longsword and swung with both hands as he blocked and watched as a blue aura pulsed off him; when my blow struck he slightly skid back before smiling and pulsing a red aura before punching me sending me flying against the wall. I fell to the ground and looked over to see the other three struggling with Alice's copy as it launched wave after wave of magical slash at each of them. Pushing myself up with my free hand I got on my feet and stayed low to the ground; (Power Break, Speed x2) Taking off with my hand I zipped over in front of my friends and took the blow in progress reeling back from the force.

"Soren!" Alice yelled as I looked over at Lily and she gave a nod.

"Cura!" Feeling some of my energy return I got back on my feet and launched myself at Alice's double getting as close as I could while dodging her attacks; (Speed break, Silence) once I was close enough I made a quick slash at her center making her stagger backwards slightly before knocking me back slightly with her blade blow. When I had my footing back I watched as she tried to send another wave of magic at us but nothing came out making her give a surprised look as I grinned.

"Nice!" Gareth said as I back stepped and regrouped with the others. She took a deep breath before both she and Gareth's double changed back to the twins and gave us their blank stares.

"Just let us through!" I said lowering my guard, "This can't be what you want to happen to your existence. You want to disappear forever and take everyone with you?" Their response was immediate.

"Yes." They replied in unison without skipping a beat; it surprised me how sure of this they were…and yet when I look at their hands I can see a small tremble break out occasionaly.

"…"

"Soren." I turned back to see the others were approaching me.

"We can't all take them on." Lily said.

"What? No, we can take them."

"Yes, we can take them…but we don't have the time for all of us to waste." Damn…Lily was right, we don't even know how much time we have left but we're still wasting it on a distraction set up to stop us, "We're going to have to split up in order to get to Owen fast enough."

"Damn…I hate when you're right Lily."

"Sorry…" I took a deep breath and watched as they stood closely to the door.

"It looks like they're not going to let us through." Gareth said, "One of us is going to have to keep them distracted for the other three to get through."

"…I can do that." Lily replied.

Lily

We separated and I walked forward slightly as they moved into a defensive stance; they're trying to keep us from getting through them, that's why they haven't moved far from the door way forward…but I can do this! Spinning Reaper I swung with all my might as the scythe edge slid out of the top; running my hand along the scythe edge I felt magic dance along my fingers and watched as it was covered in light magic that extended the edge out. Rushing forward I swung at them making them block with their weapons and spun my weapon making another strike making them skid back slightly; on the next spin I repositioned and swung down sticking the scythe edge into the ground and spun myself on the staff end hitting both of them in the face with my heel and making them stagger. Finishing it off I pulled the edge out quickly and make a full spin making both of them go flying to the far ends of the room.

"Go!" I yelled and the three of them rushed through the open doorway as the twins slowly recovered; as soon as Gareth passed through the threshold I moved to follow but looked to see the cleaver flying at me and back stepped as it stuck into the ground in front of me.

"We're not letting all of you through." The girl said jumping forward and stabbing me in the stomach with her staff making me stagger backwards again.

"You will not be able to do that again." The boy said as he pulled his cleaver out of the ground and jumped at me; as he swung I made a quick spin with my scythe blocking his hit and making him fall back slightly before landing on his feet. I took a deep breath before looking back at both of them.

"At least they made it through."

Soren

We rushed through the hallway and as we moved forgather from the previous room the sounds of clanging metal seem to die out until we were left in complete silence that made us all slightly uncomfortable.

"…You think she'll be okay?" Alice asked and I wasn't sure how to answer.

"She's got this." Gareth answered confidently and I nodded in agreement at his confidence in her.

"She won't go down easy- no, she won't go down at all." I said and Alice nodded.

"Yeah, I know…I just needed to hear it from you two." As we rushed I listened to the sounds of our footsteps echo through the dark hall and stopped us as soon as the echoes started to bounce off the walls around us.

"…I think were in the next room…everyone be-"

"Watch out!" I was suddenly pushed to the ground as the sound of something swinging through the air where my head was passed by my ear; I looked to see Gareth was the one who had pushed both me and Alice to the ground.

"Tch! I missed." The lights came on again and standing before us was the shapeshifter with a cocky smile.

"Don't be so disappointed." Gareth said standing up and drawing his axe.

"Disappointed? I'm ecstatic, enthused, jubilant, enthralled! If I had actually hit then my fun would be over." I stood up and felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end; no matter how many times we run into this guy he always leaves me with an uneasy feeling in my stomach…no, in my entire body, "Now let's see if you got any better since the last time we fought." He beckoned us and we all rushed at him; I watched as Alice gripped her blade tightly and a green aura pulsed off Gareth. (Speed x2) Drawing my blade I made the first strike hitting his left side and making him stagger as Alice caught his right side making him stagger back and Gareth moved for the center quickly slashing him down and making him fly back and skid along the floor. We stood there in surprise for a moment and look at each other before he laughed and stood up with a wild look in his eye making all of us take a step back in shock, "That's more like it! Finally, you can give me the challenge I want! Now let's keep going." Under normal circumstances I'm guessing he'd normally want to fight one of us, but with the role he's been given he's pushing himself and more than willing to take all of us on at once. We all looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed with this as he just stood there arms open waiting for us to attack; he wasn't even holding a weapon in his hand, it was almost like he had something more up his sleeve…more sleeves probably.

"He's got the arms to stop all three of us." I said trying to stay calm under the strange aura this guy gave of; it was almost thirsty in how it felt and from what I could tell Alice was feeling it as well from the sweat on her brow.

"Yeah, this is one of those situations where he is literally the wall." She said. I looked over to see Gareth looking at the shapeshifter inquisitively; what was most surprising though was the fact that he seemed unaffected by the aura he gave off, he was completely calm under it.

"No…he won't do that." Gareth said.

"Why?" I asked.

"He's not looking to stop us; he's just looking for a fight. They just happen to match up right now is all." Gareth was right, all of our encounters with this guy have been much more battle oriented then any of the others; he's been hungry for battle since the begging…no…

"He's thirsty for a fight." I said and Gareth nodded before giving a toothy grin.

"Then I'll give him one."

Gareth

Stepping forward I took a deep breath and focused on speed as the shapeshifter grinned at me cockily. I swung knocking against him but he didn't budge an inch and just took the blow still smiling.

"Come on, is that all you've got?" I felt my fist clench at his taunt and took another blow as it did nothing to him again, "Was that the wind?" I felt my rage build up and I swung wildly at him with everything I had as he stood there laughing; I kept going and watched as the amusement turned to boredom, "Okay, I'm done with you." As he put his arms down I saw my chance and moved my defense and stamina into my strength before taking a horizontal swing and sending him against the far was as he gave a surprised look.

"Get moving guys!" I yelled and they bolted through the door way; as Alice passed by me I watched as a black, oozy hand stretched after her and cut it in half hearing the shapeshifter give a loud shriek. Re-balancing my stats I looked over at the shapeshifter with a toothy grin and leaned my axe against the back of my neck as I put my arms over it, "Sorry but your fight is with me." He chuckled before pulling out his pair short swords.

"That's fine with me." He replied and I chuckled in response.

"Same with me."

Soren

The clashing metal and various grunts were much more frequent from Gareth and the shapeshifter as we moved away from the room; it lasted for a bit longer than the last time as both of them were much more forceful then Lily or the twins but I knew Gareth wouldn't go down.

"…Do you think they're intentionally separating us?" Alice asked and I thought for a moment; she had merit in her suspicion but I don't think this is a group plan.

"I think Owen is intentionally separating us. I'm not sure if the others know what's happening fully." I replied, "They were just told to stop whoever is trying to get by them so that's all they need to worry about."

"…It's weird to think they aren't getting the full plan from Owen though." Alice was really hung up on this.

"I know what you mean…we've kept each other in the loop on everything. It's weird to think Owen is hiding things from his friends, right?"

"Yeah…" To my surprise I could see a light at the end of the tunnel this time and when we crossed the threshold into the room I looked at the far end to see Sukia standing there looking at us sadly.

"Sukia…"

"…You're wrong you know." She said, "He's not hiding anything from us. He just knows we're not worried about that…of course you four are going to sacrifice yourselves to get to Owen quickly, it's only natural…and we even knew the order you would go in."

"So that's why it's lined up as it is." Alice said.

"…Then that means-"

"Yep, you know who's next Soren." So he is after Sukia, "But don't think I'm just going to let you by that easily." She extended her hands out as her nails extended and her wings folded out from behind her back and she hovered in the air, "I'm going to do my job to make sure both of you don't get by." Alice and I drew our weapons and took a deep breath before we both separated our weapons into dual blades. Alice rushed forward and swung at Sukia with her right blade making Sukia slide to the left as I moved in and thrust at her back; before I could hit though she made a quick spin hitting both me and Alice with her tail and making us stagger back. She swung her hands forward and I saw a throwing knife land at my feet before moving quickly and parrying the one that came at my face; I continued to block and looked to see Alice rushing up and making a quick dual strike catching Sukia's back and making her reel for a moment giving me the opportunity to break free as Alice jumped back and regrouped with me.

"We-" Before I could finish Alice pushed me forward as another throwing knife flew through my field of vision and I looked over to see Sukia with her hand outstretched towards us.

"I'm not going to let you two formulate a way around right in front of me." She said coldly before her tail shot forward towards my leg. Jumping forward I thrust towards the ground at the tail as it quickly dodged and tried to coil around my leg; I pulled my leg out hastily and stumbled for a moment as it coiled around my other leg and pulled me into the air and towards Sukia as she reeled her nails back. Before I came to her though she shrieked loudly and dropped me to the ground; I scrambled up and looked to see Alice had stabbed into it before she pulled her blade out, reconnected her blades into one and moved over to me. She gave me a confident look and as I stared into her eyes I got the message, 'I've got this' before nodding in return making her give me a small smile and get back up.

Alice

I took a deep breath and channeled ice before slashing and sending a wave of it at Sukia who blocked it with her tail freezing it over before she immediately shattered the ice and thrust her tail forward. Quickly dodging the attack I sped forward and sent a wave of fire hitting her wings and watched as they dissipated leaving small burn marks behind. I thrust forward and watched as the tail suddenly coiled around my wrist; grabbing it with my free hand I pulled with all my strength and watched as Sukia tried to resist before I welled up my ice powers into my hand and saw the ice begin to encroach over her tail shocking her. In that moment of confusion I pulled and sent her skidding to the ground out of the doorway.

"Get going Soren!" I yelled and he bolted through the doorway giving me a nod that I returned before the tail whipped sending me flying and slamming against the wall.

"So he got past…I knew it…but I won't let you pass." She said getting up as I did the same.

"Too bad…because I'm not staying here."

Soren

The sound of metal clashing was rare; there was more silence as Alice dodged each strike or the occasional sound of wind being cut through, I know Alice can handle Sukia…maybe even do better than that. I ran ahead and felt my heart race from my current full speed run as well as the anxiety of what was beyond the next threshold into the next room; I knew it wasn't going to be Owen, he still had one other person to send against us…or maybe me, more specifically. Crossing the bright light of the threshold I stopped in my tracks to see my other standing on the other side with his usual grimace and dark eyes that seemed to hold every ounce of aggravation and distain that he could against me.

"…"

"…" It was an uncomfortable silence that hung in the air yet it felt appropriate for the current situation we were in; there was nothing to say right now. For him I was an eyesore and he wasn't going to listen…but I have to try.

"…Jarek-"

"Shut up." He said bitterly cutting me off before I could start, "I don't care what you have to say, it's nothing important. I'm going to kill you Soren, you will die here and that will be the end of my connection to your weakness." He reached onto his back and pulled out the large claymore holding it with both hands to his side.

"We don't-"

"SHUT UP!" He rushed at me and swung with all his strength as I blocked with my sword trying to push him back; once I had my footing I swung making him step back as I took a deep breath and readied myself.

"Fine…let's do this."


	11. Lily vs Twins

I skid back for a while before hitting the wall and stopping; I felt my legs slid and quickly tightened myself to stay on my feet. I looked up and watched as the twins rushed at me together and quickly vaulted over them as they hit the wall with their weapons; they pulled their weapons out and turned as I landed. When they rushed I pulled my scythe back and waited as they rushed at me again; when they came close enough I made a full spin knocking both of them back. Taking the offensive I jumped and focused on Penny. I suddenly felt my senses heighten and my reflexes kick up as I put my feet on my scythe's inner edge and kicked forward directly at Penny at an amazing speed. She quickly jumped to the side and I felt someone hit my side before sending me flying through the air; in my quick glance I could see Dennys had hit my side with his foot. I hit the ground harshly and tumbled for a moment before getting up and holding my stance. They gave me a quizzical look before rushing forward again. As they swung and tried to strike I made quick counter strikes and spins knocking them off balance a few times and once both of them were staggered I moved with the momentum of my horizontal swing and made a full spin catching them and making them fly backwards. I took the moment to look at where they had been struck and was surprised to find they didn't have a single wound on them; their clothes were torn form the cut but their body looked unaffected.

"You…don't bleed?" I asked in confusion.

"We…are demons. We don't bleed easily." They responded in unison, "And yet humans like yourself…even though you bleed it's much harder to take you down." Well…we have to be.

"We can't just curl up and die." I said gripping my scythe, "If we did…then we wouldn't be here."

"…We can't die yet either. We have to see this through." I looked into their eyes and saw their irises shimmer and change as tears formed in their eyes, "We can't lose when we're so close."

"But…you won't survive." I loosened the grip on my weapon, "You're okay with fighting to an end that comes whether you win or not?" My mind raced with how to rationalize this way of thinking, "You're willing to throw it all away?"

"No." Dennys said confidently.

"We are fighting for a new beginning." Penny finished.

"We…we want Nina back." They said in unison, "We want our friend back…no matter what." …

They rushed at me again and I blocked their strikes before shooting my hand forward and sending a bright light out that blinded both of them; while blinded I moved behind them and scooped them up with my scythe, launching them into the air and slowing time down before cutting both of them quickly. As they landed I took a moment to catch my breath but suddenly felt something strike my back sending me to the ground before another person kicked me in the jaw making me reel onto my back and scramble as I clutched my jaw. I gave slight gasps as I rolled over, grabbed my weapon and stood back on my feet.

"Well…I'm not ready to give up either! I've got friends to fight for and I won't stop until their safe!"

"Didn't you try to kill them before." !

"That-That was before!" I felt my hands shake.

"And why? Wasn't it for…your brother?" No…don't bring that up…please…

"Stop…this isn't about him…" I choked out feeling my hands empty as my weapon fell to the ground.

"But you still have a chance." What!?

"No…I don't…"

"All you have to do is let what is about to happen, happen. No resistance, no fighting…just waiting." I clutched my head as I felt my brain thump as fast as my heart over this thought; I was really considering it…I was considering abandoning Soren, Alice and Gareth…in order to let the world reset…and be with my brother again.

"Lily." Hearing a familiar voice I shot up and looked to see Lest standing across from me with his warming smile and open arms, "Please…I want to see you again." He stepped forward slowly as I stood there unable to move in one direction or the other. I could hear his feet step across the hard floor and move closer to me; closer and closer they moved until finally they stopped and I felt his presence right in front of me…though I refused to look up. As he leaned in…I…I…I quickly rolled backwards and picked up my scythe before slashing through him and separating the twins into two again, dissipating their form.

"No!" I screamed leaping forward and slashing at them as they scrambled around trying to gain their bearings. They separated to opposite sides of the room and rushed at me but I quickly spun knocking them back and raised my hand into the air forming a ball of magic, "DIAZA!" Light magic exploded from my hand scattering across the room and hitting both of them multiple times. When it died I collapsed to the ground and panted as I felt my brain ache and beat like a drum, "I…won't let this happen…not at all!"

"…Even though it will cost you your brother?"

"…Yes…I don't want a restart…and even more importantly…he wouldn't want that." Standing up I gripped my scythe tightly and looked at both of them finding surprised looks on both their faces. They stood in their spots for a moment before leaping into the air and into each other; they shifted and molded together before hoping in front of me, now looking like Soren.

He slashed and swung at me as I stepped back and dodged from side to side before sliding over and catching him in my scythe edge; pulling him I swung my scythe around sending him flying into a nearby wall making the concrete crack. As he got back up I saw him pulse a green color before he blipped out and appeared directly in front of me; slowing time to a halt I sent my heel into his side making him stagger before I pushed the scythe into his center cutting through his torso and separating the twins again.

"N-No…No fair." Dennys said as he gripped his stomach.

"Y-You fight…with such ferocity." Penny added as she clutched her head, "Even…even against your friends."

"You can look like my friends all you want…but you aren't them." I returned. They gave me a nasty look before moving together and turning into Alice before my eyes.

She rushed forward with her katana and made a fast slice as I blocked and jabbed with my pole end making her grip her stomach and stagger back. Before I could retaliate she sent a wave of fire making me jump back; she continued to send elemental waves at me as I rushed around the room to dodge each attack. As she sent a wind wave I swiftly pulled out my rifle and, without aiming, took a shot at her right arm, piercing it and making her drop her weapon. Rushing in I made another quick swing along her abdomen and separated the twins with enough force to send them flying before tumbling to the ground.

"W-Why…" Dennys said in confusion as he gripped his arm where I had struck with my rifle.

"I…It's not right." Penny said also gripping her arm where I had hit.

"…Please…stop." I asked and they looked at me in surprise, "I don't want to kill you…I don't want to hurt others who are just like me."

"Just…Just like you?" They both responded with dark looks on their faces, "We are not like you." They reformed and turned into Gareth, yet the dark look in his eye remained.

He slammed the ground with his axe and I felt it shake suddenly making me stagger; as I did they rushed forward and, as he had a strong red aura behind him, swung at me sending me soaring into the ceiling slamming against it harshly. I stuck there for a moment before falling and slamming against the ground harshly; as I lied there I felt the protective aura around me suddenly vanish. Shooting up I grabbed Reaper and swung across his torso swiftly; they apparently didn't think I would do that as a look of shock went over his face before they separated back into the twins. Their breathing was ragged and yet still in sync; their gaze seemed weak as they looked at me and their bodies were bruised, especially around their stomach…when I looked closer I could see blood start to appear form their wound.

"Please, stop! I don't want to kill you." I cried feeling my body try to collapse from exhaustion; I was covered in a fair amount of bruises that were thin lined and yet bad looking, "This isn't right."

"Then…give up!" They shouted, "We won't stop…not when we are so close to what we want…this is all worth it…for Nina!" They reformed again, this time changing into…me.

I couldn't move, my body seemed too exhausted to move and I was surprised to feel a scythe edge cut along my arm making me drop my weapon. I staggered back as I looked at the fresh wound that started to bleed and yet I didn't have enough time as another one sliced along my back bringing me to my knees. As I panted and felt my back suddenly become wet my face was pushed up by a scythe end bringing me face to face with myself. As I stared into it I could only think back to the first time Sukia and I went up against Alice…we had wiped her across the entire battle…and yet the fire in her eyes didn't die. Because of her, Soren and Gareth I'm here now…I can't give up…and yet I can't move…is this what Lest thought would happen if he saved me…wait…

"W-Wait…" I choked out and she cocked her eyebrow, "Is…is this what Nina would want?" She went wide eyed instantly as her pupils shrank to the size of a dot. The connection broke and they changed back into the twins; their eyes still retaining the surprise form their combined form.

"Nina…Nina was sweet." Dennys said, "…She wouldn't scold us when we did pranks…but she always got involved when they were ones that would hurt others…isn't that right Nini?" I heard a giggle and looked over as Penny…I mean, Nini.

"Yes Gemi…she never wanted to hurt others for any reason of her own…yet she made sure to protect others. It made our fun limited…yet we followed it…because we didn't want to upset her."

"We've hurt a lot of people." Dennys…no, Gemi said, "We've done a lot that she never wanted us to do…because we wanted her back."

"Would…would she want to come back?"

"Not like this…not in any way like this." They both collapsed to the ground and I saw them shiver as they sobbed, "We…we can't do this."

"Gemi…you're right…she never wanted this. This is wrong."

"I…I wish we had seen it sooner."

"…Me too." As they reconciled I gave a smile and felt my consciousness fade.

Before I could collapse I felt a powerful revitalization envelop my body and make me stand again; my wounds were gone and I could feel my protective aura enshroud me once again. I looked over to the twins to find a girl with long, beautiful brown hair, gentle eyes and a sincere smile looking at me…this…this was Nina.

"Lily…please…don't let this happen." She said as she outstretched her arms, "And please…take me out." As she held out her arms in sacrifice I picked up my scythe and raised into the air slowly.

"Curaga!" I shouted and a green soothing light washed over the girl as she gave a look of surprise.

"If you want to reconcile for your misdeeds…then live. Live like she wanted you to…for her sake you have to cherish the life she left you…like the life Lest left me." They separated still holding hands and smiled at me before nodding confidently. I returned the nod and turned around rushing down the hall as quickly as I could.


	12. Gareth vs. Shapeshifter

I swung at Damien with everything I had; he skid back a few feet when my blow hit and chuckled before rushing at me to retaliate. I quickly blocked his swing but staggered back as his second short sword thrust connected with my chest. I quickly regained my composer and channeled my defense into my speed and swung at Damien in a flash making him fly backwards and down the hall; the darkness consumed him as I stood there. I heard him chuckle before he confidently walked out of the darkness with his devil's smirk as he brandished his blades at me.

"Come on…hit me harder." He said holding his arms open, "I want a fight! Now come on!" He dashed at me and I jumped up as his blade struck the ground where my feet were; he thrust at me again and I quickly blocked with the pole of the axe and spun the axe knocking the second blade out of his hand. Taking the opportunity I grabbed the blade out of the air and channeled my speed and defense into my strength before smashing the piece of medal against the ground shattering it into five pieces and sending the pieces flying across the room. Balancing back out I looked at Damien who didn't seem even fazed by what I did, "That's no problem…I don't need it…or this." He threw the blade away and swung his arms as they went pure black; his arms had become long and pointed as both edges became thin and sharp, he had changed his arms into blades. He dashed at me again and I channeled my accuracy into defense as he slashed at me mercilessly; I withstood his combo as he went at me like a wild animal…for all I know he was a wild animal. I watched as he began to slow down and once his next strike came in I swung my axe up and countered his next blow knocking him off balance; using the closeness of my axe I switched my defense and accuracy into my strength and speed sending him flying into the ceiling. As he hit the ceiling he seemed to splat against it for a moment and I watched as he seemed to shiver before gathering himself and falling to the ground. Before he hit it black wings seemed to sprout out of his back making him gently float to the ground; when he landed the wings retracted into his back as he smirked at me.

"Damn…you have more tricks up your sleeve than I expected." I said chuckling, "But I'm not ready to lose!" He chuckled before stepping forward calmly.

"Gareth…strongest of the group…energetic...and willing for a fight. You remind me of myself…but weaker." I chuckled at this statement.

"Let me prove that wrong…right now." I moved in and swung down as he moved to the side; as he stepped to the side I quickly swung back up and to his side catching his face and knocking him up for a moment before he fell onto his back. Before he could get back up I slammed my foot down on his chest making him cough before he gave me a dirty look. Before I could even respond his foot suddenly changed into a horses back leg and it reeled in before knocking my other foot out from under me and making me fall backwards. When he got back up he looked over me before thrusting his arm-blade at my arm; pulling my arm in he stabbed at the ground and I grabbed it with my bare hand pulling him over and slamming him down next to me. I took a moment to look at my hand and saw it was bleeding slightly. Pushing that aside I dropped my axe and jumped on top of Damien before clocking him in the face. The battle had completely changed from a weapons duel to a bare knuckles fight as Damien changed back to his hand and closed them around my throat switching the seat of power as he got on top of me. As he pushed on my windpipe I reached for his arm and dug my nails into it; he grit his teeth as I pushed my nails in and yelled before letting go of my neck and I let go of him arm; there was no blood on my nails but a strange black gunk that flew from my hands back to Damien.

"Fighting dirty…I like it…you're also like him in that way."

"You mean Owen?"

"Precisely, he gave me a fight only a human could have given me. So ruthless and barbaric…it's more exciting than any fight with a demon."

"Sorry but I don't like being compared to that guy." I replied walking over and picking up my axe, "It's true I'm a bit more battle frenzy than my friends…but I won't let that cloud me like it did before…they stopped me from becoming an animal."

"Sounds boring honestly. Although I suppose it's good, you probably would have died if they hadn't stopped you."

"That's true…but not from you." He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Really? Who could beat me?"

"Alice, Lily and Soren. They could kick your ass individually." He laughed uproariously at this and I chuckled, "You think it's funny but it's the truth. You call me the strongest but I've learned that all four of us are strongest. That's why it doesn't matter how many times we're going to do this, you are going to lose!" When he finished laughing he looked at me with a smile as I just gave him my most confident look; as he looked his smile slowly disappeared, being replaced with a dark grimace that poured out something I have never felt from this man, pure hatred. He seemed to seethe with uncontrollable distain and loathing as he looked directly at me; despite the terror that threatened to engulf me I continued to keep my confident look pointed with all my force at this pool of hate in front of me.

"Every time I see you, or him, either of the girls…it makes me loath you four with an unending well I didn't think I could tap into…especially you." He seemed to lumber forward and his body oozed to the point where his arms almost touched the floor, "An orphan. No family, no idea who you truly are, all you have is a body. You're just like me…and yet you stand there content with who you are…I hate it. In fact-" His body reshaped until it expanded and completely changed; his form grew and shifted until what stood before me was a full black dragon with two glowing eyes and nothing else to define it, "-this might be the first time I've actually wanted someone dead! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

He gave a mighty roar that almost took me off my feet; I ducked down and grounded myself as the roar seemed to go on forever. When the feeling went away I got up and could still see the dragon in front of me; he breathed heavily as he stayed motionless in front of me, his breath rustled my short hair slightly as my clothes billowed. We both stood there motionless, waiting for someone to make the first move; as I looked into his eyes I couldn't even see the black center in his eyes, it was like only a beast remained…guess I'll put that to the test. I leaped forward and swung at the creature slashing across its center; as I went through a murky blackness splashed out where I struck before moving back in and sealing back up. The dragon reeled its head back and opened its mouth spiting black goo at me; when it hit my shoulder I felt a sudden burning sensation and I quickly rolled out of the blast radius feeling a few more burning sensations around my body. Getting up I rushed forward and made a full spin as the form opened up to avoid my strike. As it opened up the entire form changed before changing into a giant bird and diving at me; I blocked the strike as its talons coiled around the pole end gripping it as tightly as I was. It tried to pull the weapon from my hands but I only lurched forward before pulling back; I walked back pulling the bird with me and once I came close to a wall I swung around and slammed the creature against the wall making it let go before raising Earthbreaker over my head and cleaving the bird in half. The ooze scrambled and jutted wildly before changing into two large four legged beasts that both eyed me like a fresh meal. The left one lunged forward and I slid to the floor as it flew over me; I felt teeth go into my leg and looked to see the second one biting into it and quickly struck it with my boot making the beast let go before I took a swing cleaving through the beasts head and sticking into the ground. Getting up I immediately pooled my speed into my strength and grabbed the beasts by its fangs at the time it tried to bite me in the back; I swung around sending it into its double and pulled the axe out before slamming the wide end onto both of them sending a splatter of black across the room.

I took a moment to pant with exhaustion as the formless shapeshifter tried to scramble and return to one form; it moved to four corners of the room and began to form into medium sized creatures that moved on four legs and snarled much more wildly than any of the other creatures it had been. They all sped at me and I jumped up quickly making all of them crash into each other; when I landed I rolled forward and swung back catching two of them and sending them splattering against the wall as the other two dove and sent me crashing to the ground as one bit against my right arm and the other on my left leg. I shook them off and detached the axe end onto its chain before swinging it and cleaving through both of them as they exploded in a blast of ooze.

Before I could even grab a breather I was bombarded by ten tiny creatures that assaulted my back; before I could throw them off though another ten suddenly hit my chest. All I could feel was them biting at my entire body; even when I pooled everything into defense their bites stung with an intensity that seemed to pierce everything. Taking the offensive I changed to strength and punched myself all over until I was covered in the same ooze that still burned as it covered me from chest to feet. I collapsed to my knees as I burned before changing back to defense to reduce the burn.

Suddenly the ooze expanded enveloping my body completely; I floated in the ooze as it choked the air from my lungs threatening to strangle me completely. Gripping my fists tightly I screamed at the top of my lungs with everything I had and watched as the ooze rippled uncontrollably before collapsing onto the ground and letting me out of its grasp. I fell to the ground and panted as the air swiftly pushed its way down my throat making me cough as I regained my senses.

I got up and watched as the ooze laid there completely stagnant; it seemed as though it had given up after the long fight…but I knew it hadn't. As though on cue the ooze moved back together slowly and reformed back into Damien who was currently on his knees and completely worn from the look in his eyes.

"It's…not…fair." He said getting up, "I…I will not lose!" His arm turned into a blade and he staggered at me slowly. In that moment I felt like this fight wasn't worth it…but not because he was weaker…but because he wasn't even him anymore. The guy we had fought before seemed to fight with purpose, with a reason…but this guy seemed completely defeated in physical and spiritual form.

"No…" I said dropping my axe with gusto as it clattered against the stone ground.

"What? You would rob me of my defeat!?"

"I'm not fighting you. This isn't a fight I'm willing to take to the death." He gave me a quizzical look, "If you're just like me then that means you don't know who you are. If that's the case then I'm not going to fight myself…instead I'm going to help."

"How can you help!? I've been fighting for as long as I've been alive with no answers. What can you give me to make it suddenly better!?"

"I can give you something better to live for. Listen, I was pissed when I didn't know where I came from…but I don't mind anymore. Do you know why?" I stepped forward and put my hand on his shoulder, "Because I stopped caring about my past and lived for my future." He gave a look of surprise but didn't retract from my touch or take the opportunity to stab me with his blade hand, "I want to make a name for myself I can be proud of with my own hands. I want to have kids and make sure they have an even better life then I did. By not knowing who I am I'm given the chance to become something I want to be…even if it comes with some pain I'm not going to give up on who I am. Because I'm going to become what I want…and you can do the same." He looked down at the ground and his blade changed back into his hand.

"Become…who I want. I thought…I thought I might have a better chance if I restarted."

"You don't need it…just live for your future and make it great."

"…Go ahead…go help your friends."

"Thanks Damien."

"…It's Shifty." Nodding to Shifty I let go and rushed down the dark hallway as fast as I could.


	13. Alice vs. Sukia

I swung at Sukia passing her as she did the same trying to nick me in the arm with her knives before we both landed and turned back to each other. Her tail swayed for a moment before shooting at me at a blinding speed; I quickly leaped to the side as it shot past me and grabbed it before tugging and making Sukia fall to the floor. I moved in and swung at where she as she rolled onto her back and positioned her knives to catch my katana before she swung making Enchantress go flying out of my hand and into the air before clattering to the ground in the distance. She then spun on the ground catching my legs and making me fall before she stabbed at my stomach; luckily my aura caught it and only sent me flying before skidding along the ground.

"Damn…" Getting up I tightened my hand into a fist before swinging my arm and sending a weak wave of fire at Sukia; it was only embers but she still jumped into the air giving me a chance to get to my weapon which I took. I leaped and rolled over to Enchantress picking it up on the end of the roll and standing up ready to retaliate. When she landed I sent and ice wave catching her feet and keeping her stuck in her place. Taking the opportunity I dashed in and slashed up across her center before kicking her and making her fall on her back; I finished by binding her hands with ice blocks keeping her stuck to the ground, "That's that." Sheathing my blade I looked to the door way that Soren went down and quickly moved to catch up with him-

"No!" Sukia yelled as I felt a pull at my leg and was suddenly thrown against the back wall slamming against it and falling to the ground. When I got back up I saw Sukia was standing back up with her wings extended and her nails grown out to a razors edge, "I won't let you get past here!" She seemed to tremble as she spoke but I kept my composure and moved into my ready stance as she glided towards me at a high speed. I dodged her nails as quickly as I could; she seemed to move almost, if not faster, than I could dodge catching my clothing and ripping bits and pieces as she continued to slash and hack at the air trying to catch me. I rolled forward past her and grabbed her back slamming her against the wall I was just thrown against.

"Sorry to break it to you but I'm getting past here! You can't stop me!" I yelled back before she flapped her wings making them smack me in the face and making me stagger before she spun and heel kicked me in the chest sending me to the ground. Before I could get back up she suddenly threw a knife at the ground in between my legs making me freeze. I looked up to see her giving me a look of pure anger as she stepped forward slowly.

"Yes…I can." She took another step. I tried to get up but suddenly felt my legs give out sending me back to the ground; they had been tied by her tail, "I've stopped you before, you couldn't even touch me in Hyrule." I flailed my legs to get up but had no luck; the tail seemed to coil even tighter around my legs making me give small squeals of pain as I felt the tough leather of her tail rub against my legs, "I saved you in the Mushroom Kingdom and again in the world of Final Fantasy…you never had the strength to face me ever…the fact that you got this far is a courtesy; a sick joke that's gone on for too long in my opinion…you can't win." Thinking about what she said I felt my lips curl into a smile.

"No…I can…and I will!" Grabbing the tail I bit into it making Sukia shriek as she retracted her tail and let go of my legs; an Indian burn had developed where it was, slightly bleeding form the pressure. Quickly getting up I moved forward and jabbed her in the gut with my hilt before separating my katana into two and doing a full spin making her fall back and crash against the ground, "I can't lose here…not while all my friends are trying their hardest!" She groaned before getting up and giving me a cold look.

"What the hell do you have to fight for to put your life on the line!?" She seemed angry as she asked this, "Alice Blair: girl with a disease that keeps her bedridden, fighting for a future she's unsure of. It makes no sense! You're laying your life on the line for something so unsure, the odds are even stacked against you!" What!?

Something about my reaction seemed to tip her off because she suddenly started smiling.

"Didn't you know? The odds of you actually making a full recovery are slim, less than ten percent…the fact is that you could be stuck in that bed forever…and these little moment, these times when you stand and fight, and run, and give everything you have…when you didn't have much to give to begin with." …, "Life dealt you a crap hand…wouldn't you want to try again…don't you want to see it happen differently."

"I wouldn't know it's different!" I yelled feeling vulnerable as she chipped against my fears.

"Isn't that how it should be…to not have to remember the bad times…to be able to live free from these moment…that in the end just torture you with a life you'll never be able to have?" She had a point; hearing the truth almost hurt too much to take…a reset would be prefect for someone like me…but I don't…

"I don't want to start over." I said confidently, "Sure…my life isn't perfect…but that okay. Nobody has a perfect life and it's wrong to think that just because I was hurt means I can hurt others…or take away what they have." Sukia's eyes seemed to waver for a moment as she tried to keep giving me a cold look, "If I spent all my time thinking that what I want is more important than anything else…I'd be right back where I was when Soren decided to save me, when Gareth almost went berserk, and when Lily almost died in my arms. Those moments almost turned me into a selfish monster…but those people showed me how selfless they were…and now I care about all of them more than anything. Maybe those moments were the best in my life…but if I got to meet them then it was worth every wounds, every bruise, every scar…I don't want to lose them because I can make my life better." I reconnected my blades and held it with both hands as the elements gathered together becoming a large white wave of energy, "I came this far taking every piece of pain I could and I'm not about to let it be for nothing! I'm going to fight to the bitter end for those I care about!" I sent the wave down on Sukia as she just gave a shocked expression. The ground shook as the wave dissipated leaving a heavily damaged Sukia, "So get out of my way!"

"…Why..why!? WhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhyWHY!?" She went berserk flying at me and swing her nails as I ducked and slashed at her stomach making her slash down catching my shoulder before I did a quick spin catching her nails and breaking them off before she welled up a fire in her hands and sent it at me. I quickly stuck Enchantress into the ground and formed an ice dome as the fire hit it shattering the whole thing and making a thick mist form in the room. Stepping back I sent out a wind wave parting the mist to reveal Sukia sending a seductive look my way making my heart slightly beat faster to my surprise; her succubus charm! Shaking my head I dashed forward and punched her directly in the face making her fall back before I grabbed her shirt and threw her face first into the ground. She suddenly rolled onto her hands and took off into the air before rushing at me and throwing a flurry on knives at me; I quickly swung catching as many knives as I could but feeling some hit me in the arms and legs before clattering to the ground. When she finished throwing she dove for me grabbing me by the back of my jacket and taking me into the sky with her; as she did a quick turn she whipped her arms and let go sending me crashing against the ground making a dent in the pavement. I slowly got up and slashed behind me anticipating her next dive and making her shriek and flutter back before enveloping herself in fire and flying at me like a bullet. I sent a flurry of ice waves at her making another thick mist. Before I could disperse it she had coiled her tail around my blade hand and tugged making me stagger forward into her as she thrust her knife at me; I quickly shifted my arm forward catching the knife as it went through my right shoulder. Pulling my foot back I kicked her making her let go and staggered back slightly before pulling the knife out and giving a small squeal of pain as it had actually pierced skin. Ignoring it I sent a wind wave dissipating the mist and looked to see Sukia rushing at me again. Quickly jumping up as high as I could I went over Sukia and landed on her back making her fall to the ground making both of us tumble. We both got up and I kneed her in the gut sending her to her knees before putting the blade against her throat making her freeze. Before she could even do anything I brought my foot up and stomped into the ground catching her tail and making her shriek as I took the moment of stillness to breath and pant in exhaustion.

The silence hung in the air as we just stared at each other waiting for the other to make a move so we could retaliate…this fight could go on forever at this rate; I know she would get free but…there's a way to stop this permanently.

"…Just do it…you won…this is what I'm willing to die for." …

"I don't believe it." I said pulling Enchantress away and letting go of her tail, "I don't think you're honestly ready to die for this."

"…What do you know?" She said coldly standing up, "I came this far, I fought and manipulated countless people to just get another chance…to see her again. Even your friends fell under my thumb. I was ready to kill you!"

"And yet you saved us." This stopped her in her rant, "You saved us from the fire crystal monster, saved me from a piranha plant…and helped us prepare for this fight." She looked away and clenched her hands as she trembled slightly, "You know right…this is wrong."

"…Yes…she wouldn't want this…she wouldn't wish for this at all." I nodded, "But…when it happened, it hurt so much that I couldn't even think straight…for the longest time I was lost in a haze of grief…I think we all were."

"…So what changed it?" She smiled before looking back up at me.

"…You guys did. Soren saved me and Lily…it made me think back to that moment when we lost Nina…he risked his life to help us out."

"Yeah…he's like that."

"Then you put your safety on the line to protect him…and it worked."

"I'm…I'm thankful for that." I felt my cheeks warm up slightly thinking about how lucky I am.

"Gareth…he was given his dream on a silver platter…and gave it up without a second thought…because of you guys."

"Yeah…he's definitely an interesting guy…he'll fight hard for those he cares about and never waver and that makes him very reliable."

"And Lily…I lived in her head for months and I saw her painful moments…and I felt a sense of familiarity…then she showed how much stronger she was when she turned against us…she let go of her pain to move on and help those in need more than herself."

"Lily…honestly I'm glad she's with us now…she's one of the most loyal girls I've ever met…I'm glad Soren stopped me from taking her out."

"But you…you completely confused me."

"Huh?"

"You came this far and fought so hard for those around you. While the others were able to move on from their pain and become better people…you had to endure it again and again no matter how much you fought. Going back to the very place you felt that pain three different times…all for those around you…to see the others happy while you hurt inside."

"You're wrong." Her eyes slightly widened.

"W-What do you mean?"

"I wasn't hurting inside…I was glad to go back to that hospital room if it meant I could see those I cared about. Maybe it wasn't great but I didn't regret being there."

"…Yeah…I can understand that. To see a situation so eerily similar and yet profoundly different…it made me wonder where it all went wrong…and it wasn't when we lost Nina…it's when we tried to bring her back."

"It's not too late." I sheathed Enchantress and stepped forward extending my hand, "There's still time to move on…to find someone else and give the future ahead a chance…and maybe it's slim…but isn't it worth it to keep moving and meet more people you can love?" Her eyes welled up with tears before she threw herself into my arms and bawled her eyes out as I held her; this is how to end this fight.

"…Thank you." She pulled back and wiped her eyes before pointing towards the hallway, "Go ahead…and good luck…give us both a bright future okay?"

"…Okay." I replied before taking off down the dark hallway as fast as I could; I'm not going to stop yet…not as long as they don't…and even after that!


	14. Soren vs. Jarek

I clashed Twin Soul with Jarek's two-handed claymore and felt him push with all his strength as I struggled to keep his weight from over whelming me. Shifting my blade his strike went to my side as I took a few steps to the side and slashed at his side; he quickly shifted and leaned back to dodge my blade before swinging at me and making me stagger for a moment before I thrust forward at his chest. He grabbed my blade with his hand and tossed it to the side making me move with it and tumble to the ground as he raised his claymore. He swung down as I rolled to the side and struck the ground giving me an opening to slash down along his chest making him reel back before he did a full swing using the momentum of the blade and striking me as I blocked making me go flying back and thumping against the ground. I quickly got back on my feet as he moved in quickly and swung again making me reel. Grounding myself I switched Twin Soul to Blade staff mode and moved in slashing at him before thrusting with the other end; he blocked the thrust and I spun the staff moving for a vertical slash across his arms and hitting them as he gave a small cry of pain before back fisting my face and making me stagger to the side and spit up a little blood; he was being completely brutal. Wiping my chin I switched back to longsword mode and moved in taking a few quick strikes as he used all his focus to dodge my incoming strikes. As he ducked to dodge my slash I dropped to the ground and swung my leg along his feet making him fall to the ground and drop his weapon. I pointed my blade at his throat and took a moment to catch my breath as he shot me a nasty scowl.

"…Jarek-"

"Shut it!" He opened his palm and a fire ball appeared surprising me before he threw it at my face making me quickly move to swipe it away before he got up and grabbed me by my hair and shoving me down before his knee collided with my face making me fall to my face as I clutched my bloody nose, "I told you I don't want to talk! I want you dead!" I quickly got up and quickly blocked as he went in to strike my side; (Strength x2) I pushed his claymore away and back stepped before thrusting forward and hitting his chest making him cry in pain as he gripped his chest. He looked back at me with a crazy look before opening up his palm and conjuring a dark orb; he was holding his claymore one handed but it didn't seem to affect him at all. He rushed forward and took a swing at me as I blocked but them put his orb to my chest causing a small explosion of darkness that sent me soaring into the air with its force before crashing to the ground. I quickly got back up and switched to dual blade form before rushing forward; (Silence, Paralysis) I swung at Jarek catching his shoulder and making the orb disappear from his hand before slashing up with my other blade and catching his chest and making him fall onto his back. He struggled to move but seemed challenge to do so with the paralysis keeping him stiff and unmoving.

"…Jarek-"

"I said shut it Soren!" He yelled back suddenly getting up and punching me in the gut making me fall to my knees; before I could get up he suddenly sent his sword hit against my cheek making me collapse to the ground, "I told you, I don't want to talk! I don't want your useless pity! There's nothing you can say that I don't already know you'll say and there's nothing stopping me from wanting you off the face of this reality!" (Speed x2) I felt my body blip from a lying position to behind Jarek before slashing across his back and sending him flying until he hit the ground and tumbled before getting up.

"Don't be presumptuous!" I yelled back, "You and I both know we're not like that."

"Like I care." He replied before throwing his blade at me. I blocked it and slightly staggered before he dashed forward and put his hand against my chest gripping my shirt, "You're nothing but a painful reminder of everything I hate about myself…how selfish can you be!?" Selfish?

"Wha- AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Painful surges of electricity ran through my body making me spasm uncontrollably in his grip; I could feel my mouth foam up before it all stopped and he dropped me to the ground. I could only shiver uncontrollably as the intense electrical currents continued to run through my body.

"Good luck moving, your nerves are shot to the point you could collapse and never get up." Nerves…got it! I opened my palm and gripped it tightly; (Paralysis) socking myself in the face I fell back down and felt my body suddenly stop shivering; my body was my own again. I gave exhausted breaths as I got back up and grabbed Twin Soul before turning to Jarek who just looked at me with disgust, "…Figures…" He rushed at me again and I quickly blocked and sent a dual strike knocking his blades out of the way before kicking him in the chest making him stagger back; I took the opportunity and slashed along his arms making him drop his weapon. He turned his gaze to me and formed a block of ice in his hand before throwing it at me and hitting me in the arm as an ice covering began to consume and stiffen it. Moving that arm I clocked him in the face shattering the ice and making him reel before another orb was in his hand, this one made of fire. I moved to the side to dodge and took a strike at his side making him groan before he grabbed my shirt with his other arm and shoving the orb against my chest making my body heat up as an intense burning sensation covered my entire body, "Funny isn't it? The only magic you could use was physical body effecters while I got magical body effecters…I think it's safe to say who got the better deal." I gripped my weapons tightly and took a deep breath before reforming them and gripping my hand into a fist again; (Silence) I hit myself in the stomach and felt the burning sensation dissipate until it disappeared completely.

"I don't care about who's more powerful Jarek. You know that!"

"…Yeah…I know you don't." He rushed in and picked up his blade before thrusting and hitting me in the chest and making me slam against the far wall, "But that just makes you weak."

"No…" I said getting on my feet as they shook and tried to buckle to the ground, "I can still beat you!" His eyes grew wide before he growled and moved closer. I switched back to dual blade and waited as he reeled back to hit me. (Defense x2) His blow his my right blade and stopped before I pushed it back and countered with a horizontal slash followed by a vertical slash. He quickly regained his composer and gripped the claymore with both hands before swinging with speed and power that nocked both blades out of my hands before he moved in and delivered a flurry of blows all over my body. When it was over I was face first against the floor and I could feel my aura had completely depleted leaving me defenseless.

"You can't win…you never could without me." Wrong!

"Wrong!" I yelled mustering up the last of my energy and rushing towards my blades and grabbing them before turning back to Jarek who just glared at me before rushing and making a quick swing at my chest. (Speed x3, Power x3, Defense x3) I blipped forward in strike range and made a full spin sending his blade flying before rushing in and delivering a flurry of dual strikes against Jarek's entire body until I finished with a powerful longsword slash that made him crash against the ground.

When the combo was over I collapsed to the ground feeling my body trying to recover from the overuse of power I just employed suddenly; guess three times the power was still too much for me to handle. I looked to see Jarek slowly sit up and lean on his left hand as he tried to recover from the battle as well.

"…Jarek-"

"Shut it Soren-"

"No you shut it!" He stopped and just looked at me blankly, "Why? What reason do you have for wanting me dead? Even if you want me dead what do you gain from reality being completely reset? Seems like you're trying to do something more than just to spite me!" He went quiet as his eyes narrowed in on me and his blank stare became a cold and angry look of pure hat and distain.

"You forgot about her."

"What?"

"You heard me you bastard! You completely forgot about Jennifer and Dad!" Dad and sister?

"This is what this is about?"

"You're god damn right it is! You learned the secret that was locked off in your brain for so long…and what do you do? You completely ignore it! After everything that we did you still have the gall to act like you did before all of this! You act like they were nobody important and just let it pass you by like it's nothing. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" He panted heavily after that outburst and I took a moment to absorb everything he said…he's stuck.

"You really think I just forgot them like they were nothing?" I said quietly, "You think I don't care!? Of course I care!" He just scowled at me, "…After we had saved the world of Final Fantasy I visited their graves…I faced the one thing I had blocked out as soon as I could and I sat there for hours…crying my eyes out and just letting everything that happened in those moment wash over me. I felt everything in that moment; guilt, regret, loathing at myself, you name it. I will always regret what happened that day, for everything I took from both of them in my own blind rage…it hurts every time I think about it."

"…Don't lie."

"Excuse me?"

"I said DON'T LIE! If that were true then you wouldn't be fighting me right now…you'd be helping me." Helping him…oh god…

"You…you're trying to reset to get them back?"

"That's right…I know that if I do that then I won't exist…but I don't care…I owe them that much."

"Jarek…no…I won't let you do that."

"Yeah…you would save yourself wouldn't you?"

"No…I'm saving you."

"What?"

"We've made mistakes that we can never take back, that's true. But this is just running from the guilt; we've made our mistakes and we have to live with that…I'm not about to run away…that's one of the reasons I came this far."

"Really?"

"Yes." Feeling my energy return I stood up and moved over to Jarek, "There's something I want to protect, I'm willing to fight for that. There are mistakes I've made and I have to live with it for the rest of my life…I'm here because I don't want to run from what I want or what I have done…and I know you don't want that either." Jarek stared at my hand before sighing and grabbing it before I helped him up. We stood there holding hands for a few minutes; I got the feeling like he was waiting to just fade away into nothing…but he was too strong to just fade into nothing.

"…What now?" He asked and I smiled letting go of his hand.

"I guess…that's up to you…I've got something to take care of." I looked down the long hallway finding it eerier than any of the others.

"…Soren."

"Yeah?"

"Good luck."

"…Thanks." Grabbing Twin Soul and sheathing it I rushed down the hallway towards Owen; I wasn't going to run from this, I was going to make sure there was a future we could all look forward to, Jarek included.


	15. Condensed Power

"They're coming."

"I expected as much."

"…You can't win."

"That's where you're wrong. My victory will be when I reset everything. I don't need to fight them…I just need to stall them."

"You still won't win."

"Shut up…I will succeed."

"…That's what I'm afraid of."

I rushed down the hallway at top speed, the darkness had faded away leaving me in a dimly hit long stretch that seemed to go on forever…but I knew it didn't. I eventually came to another open space; it branched off into two different paths with one having a set of stairs leading up while the other was another long hallway into darkness. I moved towards the stairs, finding myself curious to what could be at the top, this was the first set of stairs I've come across in this place.

"!" I turned towards the hallway feeling a sudden surge of power hit me from its depths; my hairs were standing on end and my left hand had subconsciously grabbed my blade handle; Owen must be down that way. Changing my destination I moved towards the long hallway; right now we didn't have time to waste…we…I hope-

"Soren!" I turned around to see Alice rushing towards me with Gareth and Lily close behind her; I let out a sigh of relief and moved towards the center to meet up with them. They looked a bit beaten up but seemed okay overall which relieved me to an extent that could turn my heart to goo.

"It's good we all made it through." I said and they all nodded.

"Yeah…gotta thank Shifty for listening to me." Gareth said slightly surprising me; he got Shifty to listen…impressive, "Although I was surprised to find Sukia and Jarek sitting on the sidelines to let us through." I looked at Alice who nodded making me smile.

"Got through to her?" I asked.

"Yeah…but she'd been doubtful for a while. What about Jarek?" Alice asked.

"He's not as insane as we thought; just like all of us he had his own reasons." I turned to Lily, "The twins?" She nodded.

"They let me through as well…they knew this wasn't right." So we all made it past them without a fight to the death…that relieves me, "So what now?" I turned back and pointed to the long hallway.

"Owen is down that way, I can feel his power." Another shockwave of energy hit me and it felt slightly more intimidating then last time, "And I think it's growing."

"Then let's go take him down!" Gareth said and I chuckled before nodding.

"Not so fast boys." Alice interjected pointing to the stairs, "What about that?"

"I was actually headed that way first but then I felt Owen's power." I replied.

"Can we really just ignore that though?" Lily asked, "That could be just what he wants." She had a point; he could be pulling a bait and switch to throw us off. He's obviously trying to waste our time so this could be another trap…but at the same time those waves aren't consistent power, they're steadily increasing, "…Maybe…maybe we should split up." Again…we keep being thrust into situations where we're forced to separate throughout this place…I can't deny that that might be his other plan."

"…No, we can't do that again." I said, "Every time we're separated we end up in serious trouble. We're sticking together." They all looked at each other contemplating my words before turning back to me and nodding.

"Right. We're not letting them separate us again." Alice said.

"Not this far in." Gareth added.

"No chance at that." Lily finished, "…I'm still worried we might be in trouble if we don't cover all our bases though."

"Yeah…I can understand that…it might take longer but let's head up first and then come back down-"

"That won't be necessary." We all turned to the doorway we came in to see Jarek, Sukia, Shifty and The Gemini Twins coming through; even though I took down Jarek I was surprised to see how beaten they all were compared to us…we really did a number on them…I feel kind of bad.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lily asked.

"We…" Dennys started.

"We want to help." Penny finished.

"We're not entirely sure what Owen is planning from this point on." Shifty said, "Despite his obsession he's still a crafty man."

"He was our leader." Sukia said, "Whatever he has beyond here isn't something simple."

"…You have two paths." Jarek stated, "…Owen is down the long path right?" I nodded, "Then we'll take the stairs and see what's up there."

"How do you know he's down the path?" Sukia asked.

"I can feel his power fluctuating from here, spiking every pulse."

"Yeah…it's slightly overwhelming even for me." Shifty commented. I looked back to Lily who nodded before tossing me a scroll which I tossed to Jarek.

"Stay in touch if you find anything." I said and he nodded before leading the others up the stairs.

"…Can we trust them?" Alice asked and I nodded.

"I'm sure they're trust worthy." I moved to lead the group down the hall before feeling someone pull at my pant leg; I looked down to see Penny looking up at me, "What's up?"

"…Please, bring Owen back." …

"…Yeah, we will." She smiled before rushing to meet up with the others.

"Bring him back?" Gareth asked.

"Yeah…a bit vague…but I think I get the message."

We walked down the long hallway with the sound of our shoes stepping on the ground and echoing being the only sound.

"…So what's the plan?" Alice asked.

"Well…I'm not entirely sure." I answered.

"We've only gone up against Owen a handful of times and each time he almost creamed us." Gareth said.

"And the times we did win he never took us on at his full power." Lily added. They were right, we had no clue what kind of person we were going to face…but it was going to be four against one which means we should have the advantage…I hope.

"You okay Soren?" Alice asked catching my attention.

"Y-Yeah…just a bit lost in thought. It's the four of us against him though so we should be fine. If it ends up being more challenging we can pull back and take a few seconds to analyze his abilities. Stay on alert for my signal Lily."

"Right!" She replied.

When the hall came to an end we found ourselves in a large room that was filled with a large capsule in the center; it had a strange pulsating, morphing orb inside that had a powerful wave emanating from it.

"…This is the source?" I asked.

"Seems like it." Alice added, "Weird, I expected it to be attached to Owen but it's just a compressed energy." I looked at the pedestal it was placed on and noticed a copper tube running from the bottom along the floor and into the next doorway. Out of nowhere another burst of energy came off of the ball and I felt a rush of pain run through my head.

"Ah!"

"Gah!" Alice yelled at the same time falling to her knees as Gareth and Lily gave out equally distressed noises.

"Ah! What the hell?"

"Ngh! My head!" Once the pain had passed over all that was left was a dull ringing for a few seconds.

"Whew…is everyone okay?" I asked and they all nodded.

"That was uncomfortable." Alice said rubbing her head.

"Try painful." Gareth added as we all got onto our feet.

"Maybe we should keep our distance from this thing for now." Lily said, "If it's getting stronger than it could give off a more painful pulse the next time." She had a point. Owen wasn't in this room so being here was more a hindrance than anything else…although, maybe we can take this. I reached out my hand to grab the compressed energy but before I could even get close to it Alice grabbed my arm stopping me.

"It's better that we don't…no telling what could happen when you touch it."

"Y-Yeah…wasn't sure what I was thinking." I replied.

"I think I've got a better idea." Gareth said pulling out his Earthbreaker and swinging it down on the pedestal making it spark, "Not entirely sure what it was doing but better that it's destroyed."

"I'm not entirely sure about that!" Lily said in shock and I turned to see the compressed energy was starting to shift and expand; it seemed to have an issue holding its form without the pedestal, must have kept it together somehow.

"Everyone get back!" I shouted as everyone stepped away from the energy. I pulled out my Twin Soul to be ready for anything but suddenly the energy blipped out of existence leaving us in an empty room in complete confusion.

"…What the hell?" Alice asked. This place was starting to get way too confusing to keep together…no, this had to be some sort of distraction.

"Come on, let's keep going." I said moving forward, "We can't get too caught up in what's in front of us, we need to stay focused."

"Right." Gareth said.

"…I still feel slightly uneasy about this." Lily said.

"Don't worry. Jarek and the others will alert us if anything is wrong." I said.

"Right…I hope they've found something." Alice said as we moved into the next hallway; I hope so too. Suddenly I heard my scroll ringing and pulled it out to see Jarek calling me.

Jarek

At the top of the stairs we found ourselves in some kind of command room; it was lined wall to wall with computers and machinery, it seemed like it was all connected together to power one specific thing.

"…What is all of this?" Penny asked and I moved towards the main panel. It had a screen attached to the main board and a keyboard but no mouse, it was one of the simpler computers…kind of had a ninety's movie vibe to it. I clicked on the enter key and had a screen pop up with a green status bar mostly full; it was currently stopped with an error popped up.

"What's that?" Sukia asked and I began to read the error message.

"Progress has been halted due to interference. (Hardware damage, malfunction, overload.) Progress will resume once the main item has been moved to a new absorber."

"Absorber?" I shrugged and looked back to see the error message was gone and the progress bar was filling up again.

"Think we should break this stuff?" Shifty asked.

"No." I said quickly, "If this thing stops due to an overload then it's probably safe to say that whatever it's holding has the capacity to explode."

"And that's bad?"

"Let's just not kill everyone. Besides, I think we all know what that it's holding." We all knew for a fact that it was the energy harvested from the weaker travelers…so this progress bar must be for putting all of that energy together…maybe I can stop it from here. I rapped against the keyboard trying to kind the command key to open up the option menu, "…Damnit…"

"Can I help?" Sukia asked and I thought for a second before looking around and finding a desk off to the side with a few notebooks on it.

"See if you can find anything in those journals. Check the drawers for anything as well."

"Got it." She moved over and I could hear her shuffle through the drawers.

"Shifty, keep an ear open for anything. I'd rather we not get ambushed."

"On it."

"Twins, I want you two to help Sukia with those journals. Any useful information in there could probably only be found by people close to him."

"…Alright." They replied making me wonder about their pause.

"Don't feel bad, we're not betraying your friend. We're just trying to save him."

"Right." Dennys said as they both moved over to help Sukia. I continued to tap every command I knew finding it unresponsive. How did the error even happen? Wait…Soren's group probably had something to do with that. Pulling out the scroll I pressed on Soren's face and waited as it began to ring.

"…What's up?"

"Did you guys break something?"

"Well, Gareth destroyed a pedestal. Why?"

"Was it connected to anything?"

"A copper tube." I looked around the room and saw a copper tube running from the terminal to a side door.

"I found a terminal connected to some sort of source. It said it was rerouting it to another place."

"So that's where it went?" I moved over to the door and opened it up to see an energy source floating over a pedestal.

"Seems like it." I looked to see another copper tube running into the wall.

"Don't get too close to it. When it sends out a wave it digs into your brain." It's getting stronger then…

"Sukia, Twins, did you find anything?"

"I might have something on the power itself." Sukia said holding up a journal.

"And we found the pedestal explanation." Penny said. I quickly scanned through the pages they dog eared and found that the tubing was just a transfer device to keep the power stable, and I was right about what it was; it's the collective energy of all four thousand travelers he had gathered…wait…the power he wants to attain seems to be inadequate.

"The power he's gathering calls for five thousand travelers…are there any other journals on traveler energy?" Dennys handed me another journal and I quickly flipped through it until I came upon a conversion table. It was organized by time rather than by experience but that conversion could still be used to figure this out; let's see…he grabbed travelers within the first week which meant…they had the equivalent energy of one…but the table seems to go on from there; week two to the month jumped to five, month two to six went to fifty and then it finished with six months to a year going to two hundred, "…Damnit I knew it!" Suddenly the traveler orb pulsated making all of us collapse to our knees from the sudden rush of power, "Ngh! Soren…be careful!" I looked to see the signal was disrupted cutting off the call with Soren.

"Are you alright Jarek?" Sukia asked as I got up quickly to get to the traveler orb; I looked to see it was gone; nothing left but the pedestal and the copper tube.

"Damnit! We have to move now!" I yelled catching everyone's attention," Come on, we have to catch up to them!" We all rushed down the stairs as quickly as we could; they were walking into a trap…and it wasn't avoidable.

Soren

Static filled my ear as the call with Jarek was cut off and I immediately felt a sense of dread fill the air; the hallway began to creep with an eerie pitch black that seemed to cut off any sense of place or time. I immediately grabbed Alice and Gareth as Gareth grabbed Lily and the darkness completely consumed us. If it wasn't for the fact I was physically touching Alice and Gareth I would think they were gone from my reality.

"…Is everyone still there?" I asked into the dark.

"Yeah." Alice replied.

"I'm still here." Gareth added.

"I think we're all together." Lily said and I sighed in relief.

"Come on everyone, let's keep moving forward." Owen was trying his best to keep us from approaching him…or least all together…but I'm not about to let him do that to us!

When we finally passed through the bright doorway at the end of the hall I felt my sense of place return but at the same time found myself confused by the room we had just entered. It was much larger than any of the other rooms before it and had a walkway set up above the floor; it was like it was made for people to watch something happen below them. I looked at the far end to see there was no door meaning this was the last room in the place.

"…It's empty." Lily said and I noticed she was right; despite how centered and important this room seemed there was nothing in it…not even Owen himself.

"…This is creepy." Alice said putting her hand on her blade.

"Everyone stay on guard. There's probably more to this place than we think." The open floor before us seemed very empty leaving it very suspicious in my eyes, "…Let's check out the top area first." Gareth and I walked up the left stairs as the girls moved up the right stairs. It was a pretty normal with a railing to look over onto the floor and nothing else; it extended to the end of the room but other than that there was nothing to the room at all.

"Soren!" Lily yelled and I looked over to see her pointing to the center of the floor. It had opened up in the center and a pedestal had risen; the pedestal had that orb from earlier on it but now it seemed calmer…it wasn't pulsing anymore and was now more stable, no longer changing shape or morphing.

"…What the…" I rushed over to the stairs and moved down them before rushing towards the orb.

"Be careful Soren!" Alice shouted still up on the railing. I slowed down once I was close to it and came to a stop just a few feet away. I could still feel the immense power from it but it seemed to contain it without any trouble…which left me very worried. This thing was pulsating and formless not half an hour ago and now it was completely stable; whatever had happened had stabilized it into this form…was it formless by choice? I moved forward to touch it but suddenly felt the hair on my neck stand on end making me immediately jump back as a ball of fire whizzed by my face.

"Of course you dodge." Looking over I saw Owen standing nearby with his hand extended at where I was just standing.

"And you showed up out of nowhere like usual." I replied stepping towards him.

"…Out of everyone I could have had as a thorn in my side it had to be you. If it had been anybody else I might have been mildly amused…in fact I was for a bit. Then you throw my entire plan into disarray." He threw his cloak off to reveal a full set of leather armor on his body; an angel wings hilt blade was strapped to his side and a round steel shield was on his back, "Had it been once I would have swept you under the rug but then you disrupted my plans three times…and by the third I was sick of it."

"Then why am I still alive?" I asked, "You left me in my memory torn state for months until I became stronger and was able to fight back…in fact you left us alive on multiple counts when you could have easily destroyed us at any point…instead I'm standing here against you when you have nothing left except yourself…why?"

"So you did convince them…I should have expected this…turning my own friends against me."

"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!" I yelled, "What can you possibly gain from leaving us alive for this long!?"

"SOREN GET BACK!" I turned to see Jarek and his group rushing towards me. Out of nowhere another pulse exploded from the orb and I felt my body tense; my body began to weaken as it felt like I was being drained from the inside out.

"SOREN!" I heard my friends shout my name as the stiff feeling was replaced by my body falling to the floor with thud. All of my senses felt dimmer and my body felt lighter as I struggled to stay conscious and get myself back on my feet; I was struggling to maintain steady breathing and constant vision as the orb seemed to wildly move and shift with my powers added to it. I looked up at Owen who was giving me a nasty grin.

"For this moment."


	16. Energy

My mind was hazy, everything within my sights was blurry and unfocused; the only thing I could comprehend was that Owen had sapped away all of my power, all of my energy…and at this rate I wasn't going to be conscious for very long. Even worse…I might lose myself if I fall asleep…no…I can't fall here. I pushed everything I could, summoned every last bit of energy I had to stand up and bring the world around me back into focus. I could hear myself panting as I tried to stay conscious.

"…So you're still conscious?" Owen said not sounding particularly surprised but not expectant of it either. Everything felt like a struggle I was losing; breath, standing, seeing, everything felt like it was on the downslope and going faster and faster.

"Soren!" I looked up to see Alice looking down at me with a worried, if not panicked, look while Lily and Gareth rushed down to help me. Behind me Jarek, Sukia, the twins and Shifty were all running towards me.

"I'll give you credit Soren. Despite everything I tried to do to stop you, you still made it to this point. Facing me on my own." He doesn't sound surprised…in fact…he sounds proud of that statement.

"…You expected this." I realized out loud, "You wanted me to come this far! You knew we would pass through your forces and I would face you here and now!"

"That's right. Although, convincing my friends to turn against me was something I did not see coming…it didn't matter though."

"They didn't turn against you, they're worried about what's happening to their friends…and they don't want all of this to end!"

"Like I care about their convictions this far in!" He yelled, "It won't matter as soon as I have completed my task." Everyone had caught up and stopped behind me as Jarek moved right next to me.

"What are you planning?" Jarek asked.

"Isn't he trying to open multiple portals and collapse everything into a black hole?" I asked and Jarek shook his head.

"We read your reports. None of the travelers you gathered had even the tiniest chance of opening a tear with their power."

"Then…those reports in your journal-"

"Fabrications, yes. A lie to fill you and your group with a sense of urgency. So you would grow stronger and become perfect energy to finish off my plan." He moved over to the orb, "I've filled this with thousands of travelers…all weakened of course but still an untapped power that can expand infinitely."

"So? What does that have to do with taking my energy? It's probably a fraction of power compared to what was in there."

"Have you ever heard of leading by example?" …Wait…he can't mean-

"No…it can't be." Jarek said angrily, "You can't tell me that all four thousand individual power sources will jump to his power level just because it was put in!"

"But that's exactly what I'm telling you!" WHAT!?

"Why!?"

"Travelers are interesting for various reasons…but one of them is the influence that they have; they can bring the best or worse out of a situation…and I saw it four times with Soren there…I knew he would be just what I needed. A source that continuously brings triumph over ruin terrible enough to make any normal person forfeit…yet here he stands…as prime a candidate as any."

"But then this makes no sense!" Alice shouted, "How are you going to take everything out if you don't know how?"

"Oh I know how little girl…I've done it before…I've turned my entire world into dust. Now I can do it at a force of four thousand times that. Well, four thousand and one."

"You bastard!" Gareth yelled rushing at him but was quickly backhanded as Lily moved to catch him.

"You can't do it though!" I said, "You need to be angry enough to let it run loose."

"Soren…I've been at my boiling point since Nina died…I AM READY!" NO! Pushing through the fatigued I rushed forward and slammed my body into Owen making both of us fall over. Before I could try to move he grabbed me by my neck and held me up, "I'm through with you now, so just stay out of my way!" He threw me back into Alice who caught me and helped me up. He grabbed the blade on his side and pulled it out to reveal a blade with an angel wing hilt.

"That's the absorption blade!" Sukia said, "The blade will never be able to hold that much power."

"My power is but a fraction of what it can hold, I know this blade will hold it…and even if it doesn't the energy will explode into the end of everything! No matter what I win!"

"So you're going to absorb the energy and use it all at once?" Shifty asked looking slightly worried.

"Owen, don't!" The twins yelled. We watched as he raised his blade and swung down but was suddenly stopped by a scythe edge that swung sending the blade flying across the room.

"That's not happening!" Lily said confidently before Owen hit her with his palm sending her smashing against the wall.

"Lily!" I screamed. Owen moved over quickly to try and grabb the blade off the ground but Sukia moved in quickly and grabbed the sword and tossing it to Jarek before Owen backhanded her into the floor, "Sukia!" Jarek drew the sword and swung at Owen but Owen just caught the blade with his hand and threw Jarek into the air before he slammed into the ground, "Jarek!" Shifty shot past us and morphed his arms into blades as Gareth came back and took a swing at Owen before he pulsed his aura sending them immediately to the floor shivering, "Gareth! Shifty!" The twins passed by and tried to move for a dual hit but were instantly stopped as a fire ring sprung up cacthign them and making them fall backwards, "Twins!"

"Damn it…stay here Soren." Alice said letting go of me.

"Alice?" Alice moved forward and stood between Owen and the orb.

"…Out of the way girl."

"No, I won't let you do this! I'll stand between you and this orb forever if I have to!"

"You won't be able to!" He swung his blade and Alice dodged before swinging across his chest making him groan before he kicked her sending her skidding back. She stayed on her feet and focused before sending a wave of fire at Owen who quickly countered with an ice barrier; she moved in with a wind strike and hit him in the arm making him stagger before he suddenly held his blade out and rushed through Alice hitting her before coming back on the return and sending her flying across the room.

"ALICE!" I yelled falling to my knees…damn it…I could barely move…but I won't give up! Getting up I moved over to Owen as he stared at the orb and lurched for the blade wrenching it from his grip before slashing him across the side making him groan in pain. I staggered back and saw the blade give a light glow before swinging again and sending the wave at Owen. Whether it was because it was his own power or because I sapped it away I wasn't sure but he flew back and skidded along the ground. Dropping the blade I staggered over to the orb and felt it trying to send me to my knees before it…it was more powerful now that everything was comparable to my strength…which made it harder to face…but I can't give up here! I grabbed the orb with both hands and pulled it out of the machine.

The millisecond I had pulled it from the confines of the pedestal I felt my mind consumed with memories and moments that were partly mine…and mostly everybody else. Pain, that was what was mostly there and it tore at everything in my brain trying to destroy me…everything was trying to be overwritten by everyone else as every piece of power tried to devour my body and make it their own…and they were winning.

Alice

I struggled to get back up and watched as Soren somehow grabbed the blade from Owen and struck him sending him flying away from the orb; I have to get up, this is our only chance now. As soon as I was back on my feet I watched as Soren stumbled towards the orb and I knew the look in his eyes.

"Soren, no!" I screamed as he grabbed the orb and convulsed violently on the floor as I watched in horror.

"That fool!" Jarek yelled moving up to him. I rushed to grab him but Jarek stopped me just before I got to him, "Don't touch him! Right now he's fighting with every other power in there to get back his power."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Every traveler that was drained passed out; when they woke up they were no more than a husk."

"But Soren didn't fall unconscious." Gareth said.

"Right…so he still had an idea of who he was." Sukia said, "But he's still in there as well…and that's what he's fighting for." Damn it…I'm sick of Soren having to fight just to get himself back…and all we can do is stand by and wait for him to either succeed or fail…not this time! I looked at Gareth and Lily who both had the same look I did before we all dived to grab Soren.

"You're not doing this alone!" Gareth yelled.

"We're going to help you this time!" Lily yelled. I touched him and felt my mind start to shuffle through memories.

"We're bringing you back for sure!"

Soren

Loss, envy, hate, despair, negative emotions consumed my mind b the ship load; some stronger than others but all equally distressing and hurtful…who was I anymore? So many things ran through this mind I feel as though everything about whoever I was has been purged into nothingness…I am a blank slate to absorb the strongest identity…but what is my name? My name is…Paul- no, Trisha- no, Steve- no, cassandra- no

"Soren!" Soren! And that's Lily…that voice…it fills my thoughts with hope, joy, friendship, conviction, intrigue.

"Soren!" Gareth! A voice of companionship, eagerness, strength of heart, overflowing faith.

"Soren!" Alice! A voice of trust, partnership, loyalty, protection! That's right, I'm not losing here! Not yet! I reached my hand out and gripped tightly at my own power before everything faded away and I was sitting there holding an orb as my friends had their hands outstretched and touching my body. They all look exhausted but otherwise safe…they brought me back but then again…they always do.

"Thank you…" I said and they all nodded as I held the orb filled with the power of four thousand travelers at my strength now. The images no longer moved through my mind, I was just myself and the orb was just itself…there was no chance of it taking me over now.

"…So you got your power back." Owen said getting up, "It matters not…four thousand is more than enough to destroy everything."

"…Maybe." I said tossing the orb up and down, "But you have to get it from me!" He laughed at my conviction before picking up his blade and pointing it directly at me.

"Childs play." Placing the orb in my pocket I pulled Twin Soul out of its sheath and readied myself for a fight. Everyone moved into help but I felt something pluck at my mind for a moment.

"Guys, let me handle this." I said stopping them.

"No way Soren." Jarek said, "This isn't a fight just for you."

"His blade absorbs power from others…I'm not going to let you guys become what I did."

"He's right." Gareth said stepping next to me, "Leave this to us." I looked over to see Alice and Lily standing on my other side.

"…Alright, we'll leave it to you four."

"Don't lose." Shifty said as they all left the floor and headed to the upper banister. Owen just chuckled as he approached us slowly.

"…This isn't going to be easy. He may be more powerful than all of us combined." I said and Gareth chuckled.

"Doesn't matter, we'll stop him no matter what."

"We've come this far." Lily said, "Even I think we can do this…I know we can."

"Soren," Alice said, "we're not giving up at all…so let's give it everything we have…and go home together." …I nodded in agreement and readied myself. With a simultaneous charge we went at Owen as he came at us, ready to fight for everything we were after!


	17. Group Vs. Owen

I took the first swing at Owen as he quickly blocked and tried to retaliate with a kick which Gareth stopped by kicking him in the back as Alice made a vertical cut along his chest as I moved out and made a horizontal strike along his side. We all moved back as he made a full spin at which time Lily vaulted in and slashed along his body making him stagger again as Alice and I moved in with out dual blades and stabbed at his center before making a synchronized slash making him fly backwards.

"Fine, this is how you want to play!" He screamed and I felt his aura give off an intimidating field that kept two or more people at bay; he wasn't going to face us all at once. I looked at Alice and motioned for her to move in and fight. She nodded and moved in as I motioned for Gareth to move to his side and wait for Alice to pull out while Lily move to his back and waited for Gareth to move out. I took up his other side where I would wait for Lily to pull out and Alice would move in after I pulled out. We had him in a box formation now, so even if only one of us could fight at a time he still wouldn't be able to handle us. Alice pulled back as soon as Owen went for the swing and Gareth dashed it swinging his axe as Owen quickly blocked before they moved into a block and retaliate pattern until Gareth smacked his blade down and hit Owen with the staff end of his axe before spinning and catching his face. He swung to hit Gareth and sent him skidding back at which Gareth stepped back when he could giving Lily the chance to move in and begin her attack. She slashed quickly with her scythe and blocked with her staff end, sometimes using it to vault around him and deal a lot of back strikes before he exploded his aura making her step back giving me my opening. I rushed in and thrust at his chest with my left blade at which he blocked before I brought my other blade up and smacked his sword out of the way and slashed at his arm he put up for defense. He tried to grab me by my jacket but I quickly backed off, knowing what he was trying to grab from me. Alice tried to move in but he screamed again creating another deadly aura that told us that we couldn't even come at him one on one. Figuring out that he made close range impossible I pulled out my pistol and shot at him prompting everyone else to do the same. We all put as many round into him as we possibly could as he tried to block most of them with his ice shield but still catching some of our other hits as he was getting shot at from four different angles making a total defense impossible. As soon as I heard the click of an empty round I holstered my pistols and signaled to Alice pointing it the edge of my blade which she nodded and flared up her magical weapon ability. As she kept Owen's attention I decided to ignore the feeling the aura gave me and rush in to strike at Owen; before I even made it I slammed against a wall of red, seems his aura is more than just show. I moved over and signaled for Gareth pointing at my muscle at which he smirked and flared red for a moment; I then looked at Lily and made a throwing motion at which she nodded and moved over to Gareth who jumped up as Lily swung catching Gareth in her scythe and sending him soaring into the sky. Gareth swung down on top of Owen with all his might hitting the aura barrier and shattering it to pieces making Owen stagger in shock before Gareth stuck him making him go flying back, "ENOUGH!" He screamed before he began to throw magic spells at us as fast as he could. Gareth, Lily and I stood back unsure what to do as Alice moved forward and retaliated at his spells with her own matching him blow for blow before overwhelming him and sending a fire wave that exploded as soon as it hit Owen. The smoke didn't have the chance to clear as Owen moved forward like a bull and charge past Alice throwing her out of the way as well as Lily and I before being stopped by Owen who matched his brute strength and threw him back before dislodging his chain and swing his axe end directly on Owen. Owen laid there for a moment before completely disappearing into shadow and I looked behind me to see him reeling to strike Lily; he never got the chance as a millisecond later Lily stood behind Owen in her strike stance as Owen stood there dumfounded at the wound he had just received. He didn't dwell on it long as suddenly he blipped out of existence and reappeared to hit and strike everyone at a rapid speed; (Speed x2) before he could get to me I blipped around at my highest speed and struck him just as quickly making us trade blows at rapid speed before I overwhelmed him with my dual blade speed and sent him soaring before appearing over him and slamming him into the ground where he lied motionless.

We all took the moment to catch our breath and I looked around at the battle field; it was charred and covered in the debris of every move, magic attack and crater we had made in or fight with this man…it took all four of us just to defeat one man. I have to wonder just how long he had been at this quest to revive the dead; if it's as long as I think it is then this isn't just a lost mind, this is a full on obsessive mind. I heard a low groan and turned back to watch Owen stand up shakily; he seemed slightly disheveled more than defeated but the power he exerted to fight us had taken a large toll on his body, he was sweating profusely from the strain.

"Owen, you can't keep fighting. You can't win against all of us." I said as he breathed heavily.

"I've said it before…and I'll say it again…I don't need to beat you to win, the situation is still well within my hands." He seemed defeated…but confident in his statement, "As long as that orb exists, my goals are still well within my reach."

"…"

"What now Soren?" Alice asked. I sheathed my blade and stepped forward.

"Owen…is this really what Nina would want?"

"Shut your mouth!" He yelled at me, "Your mind games aren't going to be tolerated! You think you know her!? What the hell do you know!? She paid for sins she never should have had to pay for, every mistake I've ever made she paid for…it's not fair…not to her. So shut your mouth and hand over the orb, NOW!"

"NO!" I yelled back. His aura flared to life again at my conviction but I stood my ground as it tried to push me back, "I've stood by for too long and watched what you've tried to do to others. You've hurt so many people in your quest to end everything…no matter what your end goal was, this much pain and suffering is not necessary." I pulled out the orb, "Nina gave herself to absolve you of your sins and you decided to just replace them with this! The biggest testament to you sins…what you've done is throw those sins back in her face!"

"…" He silently stared at me; his face was blank of emotion.

"Nothing to say?" He swung his arm and I felt a force send my flying back.

"There's nothing WORTH saying. You think I care about what I've done when I've come this far? All I need is that orb and I have everything I'll need. So hand it over!" Getting up I watched as a photo fell out of my pocket; it was the picture of Laharl, Etna and Flonne.

"What about everyone you lost? Are you really going to just forget them-" Another force hit me before I could continue sending me flying back.

"Soren!" My friends rushed over to me as I stood up.

"I'll say it again…I DON'T CARE! I'm willing to let everything fall apart, reduce everything to zero! What don't you get about that!? There is no lapse in faith, no moment of doubt; I will succeed no matter what!"

"Damnit you're throwing away everything else you had! Every friendship you made and every bond with another person! This just isn't worth it!"

"And who are you to talk!? What's to say you wouldn't be here right where I'm standing if you lost those you care about…in fact…" He snapped his fingers and suddenly clamps came out of the ground and wrapped around Gareth, Lily and Alice, "Let's test that little theory." They struggled against their bonds and I moved to try to get them off but suddenly got pushed back as Owen approached them. He grabbed Gareth by the head and slammed it into the ground breaking his aura shield and giving him a bloody nose.

"Stop that!" I shouted as he moved over to Lily and grabbed her by the arm before he twisted it causing bone to crack and her to scream, "NO!" I lunged forward but was pushed back again before being restrained in place. He slowly moved over to Alice and I felt my heart beat a lot faster as I watched him stand her up before kicking against both her legs and making her collapse to the ground unable to walk, "ALICE!" I screamed breaking my bonds and dashing forward. (Power x3) I slammed against Owen sending him flying before crashing against the floor. He quickly got up and pulled his blade out before dashing and swinging at me; I quickly blocked with my right blade and countered with my left blade before slashing down with my right blade and dual slashing along his abdomen and going into a combo before kicking and sending him crashing against the ground. As he lied there motionless I took a moment to calm my mind and sheathed my blade before rushing over to Alice, "Are you okay?" I asked and she gave me a weak smile.

"I can't walk…nothing new though, right?" She had a force smile and I felt myself tear apart inside, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"…Sorry." She hit me on the head as I said that, "Ow."

"What did I say about that word?" I chuckled at her pout and heard Owen chuckle as he got up.

"Interesting…I wonder what would happen if I broke her arms next."

"You won't get the chance to try!" I yelled standing up, "You can't push me to my worst limit no matter how much you try! I'm not like you!"

"Really?"

"Really! You got closer to taking them out than I would EVER allow. Like hell I'm going to let you even touch another hair on their heads!" He chuckled before his aura died down to let me close to him.

"Very well then, if you have the conviction to say that then let's see how well you can keep that promise!" I stepped forward and was surprised to see a dome drop down over us separating everyone else from Owen and myself. Owen sheathed his absorption blade and pulled out a simple longsword and shield as I readied Twin Soul in its dual blade mode, "You've persisted to be a thorn in my side since the first day I met you…but I'm through playing games with you Soren. I shall kill you here and now." I gripped my blades tightly.

"We'll see about that. I'm not dying here!" With those words I charge at Owen as he came at me.


	18. Soren vs. Owen

I swung at Owen as he blocked with his shield and took a swing at me making me duck and slash at his legs. He staggered backwards to dodge and I took the moment to move up and stab into his stomach with the right blades hilt making him cough before he hit me point blank with his shield. I backed up and move to defend as he seemed to prepare a move. He shot forward like a bullet breaking through my defense making me fall back but before I could even begin my descent I was suddenly hit from my back sending me face first into the ground. As I tried to get up I felt the wind pick up under my feet and was forcefully lifted into the air before being hit and crashing back into the ground. He had a full combo of moves to take me out apparently…but so do I! Quickly getting up I switched to single blade mode and reached for my holstered guns; I quickly replaced the clips and placed them back before rushing in at Owen as he touched the ground. Slashing at his back he groaned before his aura exploded making me jump back as he turned and threw his shield; I blocked but was swiftly punched in the gut making me fall to my knees and drop my gun. He grabbed me by my shirt and lifted me up as he gave me a cold look; taking the opportunity I reached for my gun and pointed it point blank at his face making his eyes widen as he maintained his angry look. I shot making him scream and clutch his face as the blunt round clattered to the ground with me upon his release. As soon as my feet touched the ground I grabbed my blade and slashed up along his body making him yell again as I pulled back and switched to blade staff mode. He glared at me with a snarl before picking his shield up and rushing towards me. He swung at me and I quickly blocked with one end before spinning to send his blade away and block his incoming shield bash with his other hand. Pushing it back I took a quick swing along his torso and moved to block again as he tried to get me during my attack; he pushed through trying to break my guard before I pushed up making him stagger for a moment giving me the opportunity to run my leg under his and send him crashing to the ground. As soon as he hit the ground I switched back to longsword and sheathed it before pulling out my explosion round pistol and facing it in pointing it, point-blank, at Owen.

We stood there for a minute as I kept my eyes on him and he looked at me and smirked before I felt something coil around my leg; I looked down to see a vine had gripped around my leg from a magic circle just under my foot. In that moment I took to look Owen had smacked the gun out of his face and punched me in the face making me fall back as the vine kept me grounded to the spot. Before I could get up Owen moved on top of me and wrapped one hand around my neck as he used the other to punch me in the face over and over again. When he reeled back for another punch I wrapped my hand around his fist before it hit and thrust up sending his elbow into his face before I grabbed the vine; (Power x2) I yanked the vine tearing it to pieces and pushed Owen off making him fly back as I rolled backwards and grabbed my blade. As I got up and switched to dual blade he stood and placed his shield down before holding his hand out.

"Omega Fire!" Another enormous fireball launched from his hand and soared towards me; it was too big to dodge and too large to block fully. (Silence!) Slashing at the open air I sent a nullifying wave that make the fireball explode between us upon contact. In the leftover smoke I watched Owen appear from the other end of the fire and swing at me, gripping the blade tightly with both hands. I blocked with both blades and tried to push him back as he tried to break through my guard…and he was doing pretty good. (Defense x2) He pushed through breaking my guard and slashed horizontally across my chest making me fly back and crash against the dome before falling and crouching to the ground. I immediately got back up as he went for the thrust and clumsily stepped to the right as he passed by me and crashed into the dome. I took the opportunity and slashed along his side making him groan in pain before he back handed me with one of his hands making me skid back before he moved to slash at me. In the moment of pain and exhaustion I stepped back to dodge and tripped over my own foot making me fall to the floor. He moved to thrust at my chest and I quickly pulled out my blunt round pistol before pointing it directly at his chest and firing quickly. (Paralysis!) I unloaded every round I had in my clip at his chest and he froze in place going completely immobile as I took the moment to recover on the ground.

I watched him as I sat there recovering my breath; as I looked at him my mind wandered back to the origin world he was thrown into…the Netherworld of Disgaea. I pulled the picture Mary gave me out and looked at it again; sitting on the thrown was the Overlord Laharl with Etna his Vassal on the left and Flonne the Fallen Angel on his right.

"…In a world where the sacrifices made are heartfelt…it caused a man to lose his way…it's not fair." Owen has hurt many, killed many more…and caused suffering to more than I'd like to count, including us and his friends…but, "I still can't kill him…not when I could have easily become him myself." He was right, had I lost my friends I might have joined him to get a fresh start…honestly I'm shocked I didn't when I found out I had killed my sister and dad, "…Why didn't I?" I looked over outside the dome to see Lily healing Gareth and Alice to my relief. Up on the balcony I could see Jarek, Sukia, the twins, and Shifty all looking down at me…that's right…Jarek joined him; he joined him because he didn't have anyone to save him from jumping that edge…while I had Alice and the others to pull me back when I needed it. I looked back at Owen to see him shaking as he tried to break the paralysis…with all that struggling it shouldn't last more than a minute or two. Owen…he saved Nina…he cares about others, even loved the girl he saved; he's lost in a pool of grief, anger, ambition…all swirling into this moment right now. At the end of everything, when she died I'm guessing everyone was lost in a torrent of emotions…nothing could break through that shell of negative emotions; so it grew into a wall that we stand on the other side of trying to take down, "…And here I am still trying to break through it…heh, oh well…I'm not giving up yet…not on them and not on him either." I know there's an alternative to this situation…I just have to find it before I'm forced to kill him…although I'm very short on time now.

A powerful yell filled the air as Owen broke free from his paralysis and swung at me in my defenseless state making me fly back and bounce along the floor before skidding and crashing into the dome. Getting up I moved forward and swung at him as he dodged and socked me in the face before kicking me in the gut making me fall to the ground. His attacks are getting more desperate, more primal and survival instintcish. Quickly rolling back before his next strike I jumped up and moved to power slash down with my left blade; he blocked in a rushed manner giving me the power to break through it as he staggered to the side. Taking the opportunity I slashed along his side with my right blade making him clutch it before he stabbed my center making me slide back a few feet. He rushed forward and grabbed my shirt before pulling me forward and crashing his skull into my face making me reel back and hold my face giving him the opportunity to kick me back and onto my back. As I got up I watched the black sheen of my aura slowly drain from my body; my shield was gone meaning each attack I took would cause much more damage and even wound…sounds like Hyrule all over again….guess it's time to switch it up! (Speed x2) I got up and dashed around the battle area to disorient him as he tried to keep his eyes on me; luckily he had no luck with that. Once I had a clear shot at his back I went in for a quick slash and moved out as he reeled around to slash at the air where I had been. Taking a page from Gareth's, and even Owen's book, I dashed in taking a long slash before turning around and going in for another moving a little faster each time I hit until I was a bullet passing by and dealing damage before he could even know what to do. Going it for the final blow I switched to single blade mode and gripped it tightly with both hands before coming up to Owen, right in front of his face, and taking a long powerful slash along his body and making him go crashing against the ground as his red aura drained from his body.

I panted heavily as I fell to one knee and tried to keep my breath in check so I wouldn't cough and hack from how much energy I had just used to pull that off; even my stomach was threatening to send the contents of my last meal back up form how much I moved around. I heard a low groan and looked to see Owen getting up slowly as his body shook from the intense beating it had just received at the end of my blade. Standing back up I looked Owen directly in the eye as he looked me back with a mix of anger and…nostalgia?

"Even after all this time…after everything I've learned, every trick I've mastered and the power I've attained…I still can't handle what you throw at me." That's right…he met me in his reality.

"Owen…it doesn't have to be like this…please. Let's just put down our weapons down and talk this out." He didn't yell at me this time; despite his hands clenched into a tight fist he just looked at me before sighing deeply.

"I've already told you Soren. There is nothing else I want, nothing else that could sway my decision to reset existence beck to its beginnings…that's all I'll ever want."

"Don't you have anyone else you care about? You're friends up there don't want this anymore…they just want their friend back." His fist clenched tighter as his arms trembled…not from exhaustion though.

"When I lost her…when I lost my mind…I took everything with me. Our home, our world; everything and everyone we had ever met was gone, reduced to dust…there's nothing left for any of us…nothing to go back to." No home…

"Gareth doesn't have a home." I said making him look up in confusion, "But you don't see him giving up. He's willing to see what the future looks like regardless of his past."

"…I've been here too long to just go somewhere else."

"Alice has lived her whole life in a hospital room, but she's here because she wants to get out and see what else is out there. She's excited to see where else she can go."

"…I'm prepared to do this…for her."

"So was Lily, she was ready to give up her life for this…but she knew it wasn't what those who gave up their life for her would want…she doesn't want to squander what was given to her by others."

"…What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to show you that maybe you'll go through some strife in life…but that doesn't mean it's all over. There are those who you care about and want to protect now…it's why I'm here, it's why Nina gave her life for yours. But even if that doesn't convince you then think about this." I pulled the picture out and handed it to Owen who just stared at it.

"Those friends you had…would they want this for you?"

A moment of silence filled the air as I waited for his answer; it seemed to last an eternity but after a while he looked up at me…but not with tears, with anger. I took a step back in surprise before he gripped me tightly by the neck and threw me across the room making me crash against the dome and create a tiny crack.

"W..What the-"

"You thought that would work? You thought you could resonate with me by trying to compare our pains and handing me a fabricated picture!? You almost had me…but I have NOTHING left Soren…so I'm not ending it here. I will succeed for Nina…and for everyone I had destroyed with my power."

"Fabricated?" I asked trying to get back up; I felt a few things trying to break as I stood, "What do you mean fabricated?"

"Flonne was never dressed like this…she was an angel trainee…she was never dressed in red or had a tail like this with bat wings."

"Wait…what about-" Wait…is it possible…could it be…only one way to find out. Finally standing up I pulled out the orb from my pocket and took a deep breath, "…Owen…you believe travelers have the power to destroy existence right?"

"I know it. I've experienced it with my own powers. When that orb breaks, all the energy inside will obliterate everything to zero across existence. Every universe will end, time will cease, realities will crumble…and everyone will disappear." I looked at the orb before gripping it tightly.

"Well then let's see if your right!" I raised my hand and threw the orb at the ground shattering it to pieces as the energy released in a giant white explosion. As it consumed me and Owen I heard him laugh maniacally as the energy overwhelmed both our senses turning everything black as I passed out from the intensity. Time to see what happens.


	19. Back to where it all began

Alice

Soren stood there staring at the orb before looking back at Owen; there was a strange mix of confusion, realization and determination in his eyes that flickered until he raised the orb into the air and threw it at the ground.

"Soren, no!" I screamed as the orb shattered into pieces and a bright light enveloped the entire room, consuming me as well as everyone else…what was he thinking?

"So that's what he was thinking…" That voice. When the light died I was surprised to find the entire room was unchanged; everyone was still where they were and nothing was destroyed or moved…except for Soren, Owen and the dome; which had all disappeared completely.

"What the-…I don't understand." Gareth said with wide eyes and agape mouth, "Soren destroyed the orb…doesn't that release the energy and eliminate, well…everything?"

"From all the information we gathered, that's what should have happened." Lily said looking at the ground with a furred brow, "…But we're still here."

"What about Soren and Owen?" Dennys asked as the group came down from the balcony.

"Where did they go?" Penny asked.

"I'm not sure…the blast went off…we all had the light blind us…but-"

"The dome." Jarek said, "The blast was strong enough to blind us but only affected those in the dome since that's where it went off!"

"Then Soren and Owen are just gone?" Sukia asked and Jarek went into thought.

"…Soren broke the orb…but why?"

"I saw a weird mix of emotions go through his eyes before it happened." I chimed in, "A bit of confusion, realization and then determination." Jarek's eyes grew slightly larger before he growled.

"That moron took a gamble!"

"What do you mean?" Shifty asked.

"He must have realized something in that moment that made him doubt what the orb would do…so he took that chance and decided to test it out." Are you kidding me!?

"Damnit Soren!" I yelled, "What was he thinking!?" Then it hit me; Soren never gambled higher than his own life…which still pisses me off but regardless, he must have realized the orb wasn't going to take out reality…and it seems he was right, "They're alive." Everyone looked at me in shock and confusion, "That's the only reason he would do something like that. He knew it wouldn't kill us…which means it didn't kill them."

"How do we know it didn't just take them out?" Shifty asked and both Gareth and Lily both shot him and angry look.

"Like hell it took him out!" Gareth yelled.

"Not a chance!" Lily added and I nodded in agreement.

"They're alive, I'd bet my life on it…Sukia." She stood up straight as I called her name, "Is there anywhere here that monitors travelers? Not the records; live recording." She thought for a moment before nodding and heading down the hallway we came in on. I looked at everyone before following Sukia as everyone did the same.

Soren

When I opened my eyes I found myself lying on a tiled floor that seemed like it had been recently cleaned; I could almost make out my face from the shine it gave off. Standing up I looked around, finding the area devoid of anybody; I couldn't even hear the wind echo off the walls…it was like this place had nothing to it.

"…Owen!" I whipped my head around looking for Owen only to find left over fingerprints dug into the tile nearby leaving a clear imprint, "…Then this must be the right place."

I moved around the area looking for any sign of Owen; he must have woken up a few minutes before I did so I had to try my best to guess at where he would have headed once he woke up…but first I have to find out where I am. Hearing footsteps behind me I turned and was surprised to find myself face to face with a man in an ornate robe and sprouting large white wings from his back; his hair was long and had platinum color to it while his face seemed devoid of emotion…until he gave me a small smile that honestly made me feel a lot better about my situation.

"Hello young traveler." He said simply.

"Hello." I replied, "…Wait...how do you know I'm a traveler?" He chuckled.

"You are not the first I've encountered with the ability to roam from reality to reality…you would be the fifth…and your friend would be the third…unfortunately he looks for the fourths spot of demise." Owen!

"Where is he!?" I asked desperately, "I need to find him!"

"He has headed for my chamber…follow that path and head up the stairs. I am sure you will find him there." I nodded before taking off for the path he pointed towards; I rounded the corner only to find a set of stairs guarded by two others with white wings. Before I could even say anything they stepped aside and opened a path for me.

"The Seraph has given you permission to enter his sacred sanctum. You may pass."

"…Thank you." I replied before rushing up the stairs. At the top I came face to face with a pure white door; I put my hand to it and felt a surge of sad emotions course through me for a moment before I pulled my hand away and backed up a few feet. Owen is definitely on the other side of this door; those emotions couldn't belong to anyone else…especially while inside that room. Taking a deep breath I approached the door again and gave it a hearty push as the emotions washed over my body; I could feel my eyes tear up slightly as the door moved out of the way to reveal a room with an alter at the very back…and Owen sitting before it on his knees. I entered and looked to the side to see a red flower planted between the cracks of the tile. So we were back…we were back to where Owen had lost Nina that day.

Alice

Sukia led us into a big room that seemed to be the equivalent of the Nasa's command center; the monitors were mostly static with one displaying an area where Soren and Owen were.

"So this is how you guys monitored us." I said looking around in surprise.

"Usually it's just a room for the empty to record." Shifty said simply as he leaned against one of the desks.

"Let's see…maybe we can enlarge this?" Gareth said fiddling with the computer, "Maybe…this?" Suddenly the larger monitor showed the video of Soren and Owen, "Ha! Take that technology!" I stepped up and looked to see they were in a strange alter like room. I could hear four separate gasped from behind me and looked to see Sukia, Penny, Dennys, and Shifty all mouth agape.

"Something wrong guys?" I asked and Sukia fell to her knees as her eyes started to water.

"Sukia!" Lily cried moving over to her as she started to sob.

"What wrong with her?" I asked and Penny took a deep breath as Dennys moved to help Sukia.

"That…That's where Nina died." What!? I looked back to see Owen slightly shivering, huddled on his knees as Soren slowly approached him…so this was Soren's idea…I'm a little worried about how this is going to turn out.

"…Is there any way we can get there?" I asked and everyone thought for a moment before they sighed.

"The only ones who can open a tear are Soren and Owen." Jarek said scowling, "None of us know how to do it yet." …Wait…that's not true.

"No, Jarek…you can do it." Everyone gave a look of surprise, "You came from Soren and I'm willing to bet you put a lot more effort into getting stronger than Soren did."

"He still beat me."

"Regardless, it's in you. If Soren could do it, so can you." Jarek looked down before his eyes drifted to Sukia and then back to me.

"…Alright, I'll try." He reached onto his back and pulled out his two handed sword before looking at the screen and concentrating. He took a deep breath before slashing quickly through the air creating a tear in front of him.

"He did it!" Gareth said with a smile. Suddenly Jarek collapsed to the ground and started breath heavily as he clutched his head.

"Jarek!" Sukia moved over and helped him onto his feet.

"Ngh…thanks." Jarek replied taking a deep breath, "…That should take us right to the alter."

"You sure?" Lily asked.

"If they're anything like Owen's tears, then yes." So, no.

"Everyone get ready, this is going to be a bit of a walk." I said.

Soren

I slowly approached Owen as he sat there; he shivered slightly until I took the first step, he froze in place completely as I walked forward. Stepping up to him I moved to touch his back but recoiled as he stood up and turned to me.

"Soren…why?" Huh?

"Why what?" I asked and he stepped forward making me step back.

"Why did you bring me here? What's the point of showing me a version that still exists?" Wait, he thinks…oh no.

"Owen, you didn't destroy your world. All you did was transport yourself and the others into another reality."

"Don't lie!"

"I'm not! We're still here…even if this wasn't your world it's still here…the orb wasn't full of destructive power…all it was full of was the abilities of the travelers. All we did was open a tear that transported us instantaneously here."

"How do you know? What if we just destroyed my world and were dumped here?"

"Then why didn't it destroy us? What could have made it so we survived…besides…I know everyone is still alive."

"Well I don't care anymore." I looked up to see his eyes were lifeless, "If you're right…then that means everything I've done up to this point has been for nothing. I've caused so much pain and suffering for nothing except a giant teleportation device that only transported the two of us back to my end point…nothing came out of it and it was worth nothing." Owen…

"I-"

"Why did you do this? You shattered everything I wanted and revealed that it was useless to begin with…everything I've worked for was worth nothing…my ambition has been crushed…are you happy?"

"…Yes." I said and he looked at me in shock, "Because now you aren't blinded…I know you'll listen to me now." He started to laugh.

"You think that I'll really listen to you? You think that after everything you've done to impede me, after shattering my dreams and bringing me back where my pain began…you really think I'll listen!?"

"Well then what are you going to do?"

"I…I…I don't know…"

"Then listen, listen to what I have to say and think about what I'm trying to do." I took a deep breath, "Mary?" I asked to the sky before turning to see Mary standing with a sad look on her face.

"…I'm sorry Owen."

"What do you want?"

"Owen…you don't regret the decisions you made right?"

"…Up until this moment, no…I was ready to keep this up until the end…which I can never attain."

"Do you know why?"

"…Because you made it that way. Out of everything you gave us the power to do…you couldn't let us destroy."

"Travelers can move between the various realities and assist those places while becoming stronger themselves. They retain their form from reality to reality; a normal person would have their physical form shredded to pieces when crossing."

"Like with my team."

"…Yes. Only a powerful traveler can bring people through the tear when they aren't a traveler."

"Or an emotional surge." I said and she nodded.

"I didn't want those I picked to be consumed by too much power…so while they can travel, they cannot use that power for destruction. The power I offer is limitless and ever growing-"

"But non-destructive." Owen finished and Mary nodded.

"I first chose those with a natural power that could be molded and become even more powerful…but that changed the day I chose you, Owen. You brought Nina, a girl who had no strength of her own…and in all likelihood would have died." I looked to see Owen clench his fists, "…And yet, in that world she became stronger…through her purpose to protect the one who gave her a second chance she became even more impressive than I could believe…and she even made you rethink your outlook. It…it showed me just how someone can grow even more impressively from turmoil…and influence those around her. Everything she did was for you…to help you through your own weakness I couldn't see…and she succeeded."

"Yeah…at her own life." Owen said bitterly.

"Well…she didn't want this either…but your impulsiveness to save her made everything a bit…muddled. Your willingness to kill a reaper, your sin of killing the Archangel to save her…those sins were tightly secured to your love for her…she felt guilty from that."

"W-What are you saying?" He looked scared; he knew the answer.

"Owen…she wanted to repay you…she gave herself up to pay for the sins you got from saving her." I said.

"No…that's…that's not fair…it's not fair! I tried my hardest to hold onto what I had…to make sure she didn't have to pay for her sins…damn it, I was willing to pay for them!"

"Owen…you held on too tight." I said and he grabbed me by my shirt collar.

"I don't want to hear that from you! What do you know!?"

"I know that trying to take someone's place is a stupid idea!" I said staring him in the eyes, "You tried to hold all of HER pain…but you can't! You know what happens when you try to do that!? You completely disregard the person you're trying to help!" I loosened his grip and dusted myself off, "You can't hold someone else's pain…you have to let them face their own problems or they can never become better people…and neither can you." Feeling a strange tingle I turned to see everyone coming out of a tear, "And everyone here can attest to that…they all faced their own problems…and that's why they're standing here now." I turned to Alice, Gareth and Lily who all nodded before stepping forward.

"Soren was there for me…he protected me from going off the deep end…but we both knew I had to face my own insecurities and overcome them if I wanted to stand strong…I know things aren't perfect for me…but I'm not going to run from them because I know I can face them…and I won't go down as long as everyone is there." Alice.

"Maybe I'm not the most stable person; hell, I've hurt my friends…but having them there just makes me want to become better, stand up to my problems and come out the other side better for them. I know there are things I have to face, and my friends know to trust me to handle them on my own when I ask…but I also know they'll be there when I need them." Gareth.

"I…I used to be afraid to face something alone…but not being alone has shown me how much I want to protect…how much I want to take for them…and we each have our own burdens to face…and we will face them. Because we care enough to get past them for those we care about…regardless of how scary or powerful it is…we have to be able to get past them if we want to stand with those we care about…we can't just let someone else handle them for us; they're our problems to face in the end and they don't go away just because someone else took care of it." Lily.

"I think…that's why Nina sacrificed herself for you." Sukia said.

"She had to take responsibility for her own weakness." Dennys said.

"For all the things she avoided." Penny finished.

"…And that's why your marks disappeared…she reclaimed, and paid, for her weakness." Shifty said.

"No…that's not fair…I didn't…I didn't want to lose it." Owen said falling to his knees.

"…That's what happens sometimes." I said stepping up, "Sometimes you can want to hold onto something so tightly that it slips out of your own fingers before you know it…I'm sorry Owen…but you need to accept that Nina paid for her sins…you need to move on…for her sake more than anyone else's. Respect the decision she made…and move on with your life."

A cold silence filled the air as we all stood there waiting for Owen's reply; he just sat there, breathing slowly as everything we told him ran through his mind like a bullet, it was a lot for him to process altogether…but I knew he would make the right decision.

"Soren." He said catching my attention, "…Why are you doing this for me?" Why?

"…Because at the end of everything I know that we're more similar than different. We both have things were trying to protect, and we're willing to go to the very end to protect them. We care about those around us and maybe we're on opposite sides but we both have something were trying to hold onto. We're not different Owen; we're the same right down to our core…and I'm not about to kill those I can sympathize with." He chuckled before standing up.

"It's weird to hear somebody I almost killed sympathizing with me…but I understand your reasoning. Even when I met you that day in my world, I sensed something resonate between us…I couldn't recognize it until now but…I know that we both care deeply for others…which is why I have to give up…right?" I felt my eyes widen for a moment before I nodded, "Alright then…I guess this is the end isn't it?" …It is…after everything he went through, this is the end of his quest.

"So…we did it?" Gareth asked and I nodded.

"We finally stopped Owen." Lily said with a sigh.

"So…what now?" Alice asked and I was at a loss for words. Even if we had stopped Owen there was still everything that he had done up to this point…whether I like it or not there was still a lot of pain and turmoil that was left in his wake.

"…I have to pay for my sins don't I?" Owen asked and I slowly nodded, "I know…I have caused a lot of pain in my plan…for both travelers and residents of their world."

"And that's why I wanted this end." Mary chimed in as she stepped forward, "I've gathered all of the travelers you recruited and I can send them back to their reality. As for the worlds you visited…I needed Owen for this one." She stepped forward and placed her hands on each side of Owen's head; a light began to pulsate off both of them for a few minutes before Mary pulled away and took a deep breath, "Through your memory I was able to catalog every reality you majorly affected. Through those I should be able to find a way to return them to the state they were in before your interference; any reality that was affected by you shall be returned back to normal…as will the travelers you gathered together."

"So…it'll be like it never happened?" Owen asked and Mary shook her head.

"I will be able to bring them back to their previous state…but the memories of what you've done will remain. I can never change that."

"…What about Remnant?" I asked.

"And Final Fantasy?" Lily asked.

"For Final Fantasy I cannot change what you had already fixed…and Remnant will remain as is."

"What?" Gareth said shocked.

"Why?" Alice asked.

"While Owen's interference added to the turmoil the plans set in motion were prepared long before he appeared…the world was headed that way before all this happened."

"…That's okay." I said making everyone turn to me, "I know our friends can handle it." Alice, Gareth and Lily all nodded in agreement.

"So…what about us?" Sukia asked.

"That's up to you. As far as I'm concerned, you four are as much travelers as the others. If you like I can take those abilities away and you can remain in this world…or you can hang onto those powers and decide what to do with them yourselves." A moment of silence passed as they all thought.

"I…I think I'll give them back." Shifty said first.

"Us too." The twins added.

"Are you sure?" Mary asked.

"Yeah…I think I'll make my own future here." Shifty said with a genuine smile.

"We want to keep living…and we want it to be here." The twins said confidently. Mary turned to Jarek and Sukia who seemed to be thinking for a bit longer.

"I…I want to hang onto mine." Sukia said, "This whole matter has made me wonder what else is out there…I want to keep moving forward…but I also want to see what else is out there…meet new people and see new things. So I'll hold onto these powers and…travel, funny enough." She said with a smile and I couldn't help but smile at her conviction. The last one was Jarek who seemed the most conflicted.

"Jarek…would you like to go back?" Mary asked, "Because if you want…I can do that."

"…No." He said, "I exist now because I want to keep moving…even if I came from Soren, I'm my own person…and I want to find out what kind of person I can become…so I think I'll hang onto this power and go find out who I can become…but I won't forget who I was." He looked over at me and smiled, "Isn't that right Soren?"

"Yep, hit the nail on the head Jarek." I replied.

"No…not Jarek. How about…"

"Jack?" Sukia offered and he chuckled.

"Works for me."

"Even if it's plain?"

"I'll give it meaning." That's it Jack.

"In that case…name me."

"Huh? Well…um…Sarah?" Jack said looking flustered making everyone snicker as Sukia giggled.

"Perfect." Suddenly we heard footsteps approach us and I looked to see the silver haired man approaching us.

"The Seraph." Owen said.

"Hello again Owen." He said.

"I…I'm sorry for yelling at you before."

"Owen…have you learned your lesson since you left?"

"…Yes…but I still have to pay for my sins." He stepped forward and towards the Seraph, "So please…pass judgment on me."

"…Very well." Everyone moved to stop him but I quickly outstretched my hands to stop them. This was his way of paying…we couldn't interfere.

"Hey Mary?"

"Yeah?"

"…Sorry for blaming you…I was a bit hard headed."

"…It's okay…I'm sorry you had to suffer for so long."

"And Soren,"

"Yeah?"

"Let's meet again…as friends next time." I nodded in agreement before a bright light engulfed him and he disappeared completely.

"Owen has been removed from his form to be tried for his sins…may he pass through his punishment and emerge reborn on the other side." The Seraph chanted, "…I must thank you for your assistance in this matter."

"Well…we were glad to do it." I replied and he chuckled.

"Hopefully he will emerge a better person." No…he went in there a better person…I'm positive he'll come out an even more amazing man, "As I hope she does too." Wait…she…! Clever gods.

"Some lessons have to be learned before the truth huh?" Mary nodded at my statement.

"It had to be done." You know…I have to agree on that…he wouldn't have become a better person if everything was revealed…just like us…I'm sure it makes it even more worth it.

"Well, I guess we should head home now." Alice said and I nodded before suddenly a gently light started to engulf Alice, Gareth, Lily and myself.

"I can cover that." Mary said and I turned to the others.

"Thanks for meddling." Shifty said with a smirk.

"Let's meet again on better terms." The twins said.

"Definitely Gemi and Nini." Lily said slightly surprising me; so that's their actual names. I turned to Jack and Sarah who both stood behind a tear before they nodded to us and stepped in; we would see them again…I know it. With those goodbyes we all felt a warmth overwhelm us as the light consumed us and sent us away from here…and back home.


	20. Back to normal?

I hastily put on my jacket and gloves as I stumbled out my room door; it was Saturday so I had decided to sleep in but I didn't intend to sleep until one in the afternoon. Looking out into the living room I saw Lily wasn't there which meant she had already gone on ahead of me.

"Damn it, why didn't she wake me up." I griped opening up the front door, "I'm heading out Mom, I'll be back later!" Closing the door I rushed down the sidewalk and down the path I usually took to get to the hospital. As I turned a corner I suddenly bumped into somebody and fell back.

"Gah! Careful man!" The guy said as I got up and dusted myself off.

"Sorry, in a bit of a rush right now though."

"Are you okay?" A female voice asked and I looked to see a boy and girl about my age looking at me.

"Yeah, just fell. I'm fine." I replied ready to run again.

"Well, be careful when you turn a corner."

"Got it!"

"…There's a strong chance it will happen again isn't there."

"Probably." The boy sighed, "Good luck with that person then, come on Nina."

"Okay Owen." With that they walked off and I started moving again…wait, Owen and Nina…hehehe…tons of people to bump into I guess.

Finally getting in the hospital I saluted the front desk girl who nodded before checking off my name on her clipboard and giving me a thumbs-up as I called for the elevator. I stood in it as it clunked up, floor by floor before finally stopping and opening up to Alice's floor. Moving in and finding her room number I opened it up only to be greeted by an empty Jello cup hitting my forehead.

"You're late!" Alice said with her arm outstretched, "Even Lily showed up before you."

"Speaking of…" I said turning to Lily who looked away.

"I-I didn't want to wake you." She said sheepishly.

"This seems like one of those events you wake me for though."

"Well you missed it!" Gareth said with a big grin.

"He's lying." Alice said quickly, "Well…except for the Jello, you missed that."

"You guys didn't save me a container?" I asked.

"I threw yours at your head."

"Damn." Sitting down next to Alice I was suddenly nudged in the arm; Alice was holding out a container for me and a plastic spoon, "Hehe, thanks."

"So what are we all here for?" Gareth asked dramatically.

"Aren't we always here?" Lily said.

"True, but today is a very important day!" He had a point.

"You mean it's the day that signifies that a week ago we stopped Owen?" I asked.

"Yep!" I chuckled at his enthusiasm, "We haven't had a chance to celebrate since we all got back."

"We've been exhausted." Alice said.

"Besides, we all have graduation coming up in a few days." Lily pointed out.

"Well…you guys do." Alice said smugly.

"You know, I've always wondered; how do you learn?" I asked, "You've been here for years so I'm pretty sure you don't take normal school classes." She reached behind her pillow and pulled out a laptop.

"Online courses." She said.

"Ah." I replied.

"Are those good for a high school diploma?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I take the approved lessons, pass the approved tests and the educational system recognizes my knowledge and I get a diploma in the mail. In fact…I get it the day before Soren gets his." Neat.

"Congratulations on avoiding the awkward social interactions of public schools." I said and Lily nodded making everyone chuckle.

"Please, I would have been the coolest kid on the school grounds."

"Popular chicks would ruin you." I said and she grabbed my ear.

"And what does that mean!?"

"Popular girls are the equivalent of zombies; they either convert or eat." Lily said.

"Wait…so I would have become boring and stupid?"

"Most likely." I added and she pulled.

"Don't underestimate me!"

"Why me!?"

"You should know better than anyone!" Letting go I immediately started to rub my now red ear, "Besides, the minute I met all of you I would have stuck with you no matter what."

"Damn right!" Gareth added, "You guys are way more fun than any popular group could be!"

"That's right." Lily said, "Not even the chess club could beat this group."

"Eh…maybe they could beat Gareth." I said.

"Low blow man." He replied with a smirk and we laughed.

"Alright." I started, "We've got a lot coming up so let's address the first part of it here. Let's celebrate the fact that we stopped Owen and redeemed him from trying to destroy reality."

"Cheers!" We all said.

"And on Monday, we'll be celebrating our graduations throughout the week. Lily's is Monday, Gareth's is Tuesday, Alice's is Wednesday and then mine will be Thursday."

"Then a big party on Friday to celebrate Alice being discharged from the Hospital." Lily added.

"Well, if my physical therapy goes well." Alice said.

"It's going to go perfectly. You'll be running and jumping and moving without any problems." I said confidently. The doctors said that it was almost amazing how the virus had been completely over powered by her body but we all knew the truth; thanks to all the adventures we had been on she had become strong enough to eradicate it, now all that was left was for her body to readjust.

"Well, they do say I'm making a rapid recovery; almost as though I was moving for months on my own." She gave us a sly smile and we all snickered and chuckled because we knew the truth.

"…It's really over isn't it?" Lily asked, "We all came out of this and even helped save everyone else…it's amazing to think we were able to do that ourselves."

"Wasn't just us." I said.

"Yep, gotta thank Shifty." Gareth said.

"And the twins; as well as Suki- I mean, Sarah and Jack."

"Has anyone heard from them?" Alice asked and we all shook our heads. They seemed to have gone their own way for now.

"I'm sure they're fine." I said.

"I kind of wish they could celebrate with us." Gareth said, "Weird right?"

"No, it's just a certain someone's influence." Alice said looking directly at me and I scratched the back of my head as my cheeks flared up.

"Come on…I didn't do that much. But let's celebrate twice as hard for them!"

"Yeah!"

The day after passed pretty regularly. When Monday rolled around Gareth, Alice and I found ourselves sitting in the stands at Lily's graduation; even with all the issues that she had faced these past years she still finished as valedictorian of her class making all three of us cheer the loudest and subsequently embarrass her…Gareth more than Alice or I though, dude can cheer. Afterwards Lily asked me to accompany her someplace, just the two of us. As we stepped off the bus I was surprised to find we were in front of the Colorado State Penitentiary; I think I figured out who Lily wanted to see today. We stepped inside the visiting center and as Lily asked for her father I waited on the sidelines until she came over.

"They said they'll go get him for me."

"So we just have to wait then."

"Yep." We sat in silence for a few moments as we waited for them to bring over her father, "…Hey Soren?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping me up, for helping me out when I needed it most. You really are just like Lest you know?" Lest…

"I'm glad I could help…but I'm still sorry you lost him like that." She shook her head.

"Don't be…I'm sure he's still around. As long as I keep his ideals and memory with me then he's never really gone. He's always with me. Besides, you make a pretty good big brother to me." I chuckled at her statement.

"Well…I guess if you see it that way then I don't mind too much…little sis." She giggled before a police guard came up.

"He's waiting for you." Lily nodded before standing up and pulling me over. Her father was sitting on the other end of the glass with a sullen expression, but the second he saw Lily his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Lily."

"Hi dad." She replied, "How have you been?"

"It's been…an adjustment…but I know this was what needed to happen…and I'm okay with that."

"I'm glad to hear that. I wanted to visit today because I wanted to tell you that I graduated top of my class."

"Wow. That's amazing Lily…although not surprising with how well you study."

"Yeah but," She looked over at me, "I had some people help me out when I needed it most."

"I'm very glad to hear." He looked over at me, "You're…Soren, correct?"

"Yeah." I replied.

"Thank you for looking after my daughter. I owe you more than I can give."

"Don't worry. I'm happy to help her out." I said.

"Thank you." I nodded and moved back to my seat as Lily continued talking to him. As they talked I thought to myself about all of the turmoil we went through and how Owen decided to finally took responsibility in the end…I have to wonder just how bad it could have gotten for other worlds…and how glad I was to help those worlds out.

The next day we all attended Gareth's graduation; it wasn't anything spectacular, he didn't have a speech or even finish at the top of his class but we all still cheered the loudest for him making everyone give us weird glances for cheering the nobody student Gareth who was something to us. Once it was over Gareth had asked me to come with him back to the orphanage for a few minutes; he wanted me to meet a few people. As we entered the big old house I was surprised to find a few smaller kids approaching us; they all had dirty faces covered in mud and dust but wore big smiles as they all rushed Gareth knocking him over, making me snicker.

"Gareth!"

"Hey little tykes!" He replied sitting up.

"How did graduation go?"

"I kicked butt and came out with an awesome piece of paper that says I'm smart!" He gloated and I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"…Did you pay somebody for it?" One of the kids asked.

"Hey!" I laughed at this and they turned to look at me making me freeze on spot, "Don't hurt him guys, this is Soren." They all moved over and stared at me as I gave an awkward wave.

"…He wears a lot of black."

"Just the jacket and gloves." I corrected.

"It's still more than it should be."

"You guys are pretty snarky."

"Yeah…they've got wit." Gareth said.

"I wonder who they got it from." I said with a smirk at Gareth who smiled proudly.

"So is it true you and Gareth went on a lot of adventures together?" One of the kids asked.

"Yep, we went on tons of adventures and beat a lot of bad guys. All to make sure those we cared about were safe."

"Wow…did you ever…what did you call it Gareth…oh yeah; get some?" …

"Gareth, filters are important…VERY important when addressing children younger than thirteen." Gareth chuckled nervously as suddenly a bell went off and all the kids rushed down the hall.

"Lunch time." Gareth said.

"Are those who you wanted me to meet?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Nah, I want you to meet someone else. But it might be a few minutes with them eating so we've got time to wait." He beckoned me over to another room where I saw a line of beds in a large room.

"Whoa…"

"Yeah, this is where most of us sleep." He moved over and patted one of the beds, "And this is mine." Grabbing the chair sitting near the doorway I sat down next to the bed, "Yeah…this is home for me…but I guess I have you to thank for that huh?"

"Not really." I replied, "You changed your view point all on your own. You came off your little pedestal and realized that those around you are just as important as you are. I just made sure nobody lost a limb in the process."

"Yeah…I was kind of a hot head wasn't I?"

"Was? Try am." I said and he punched me in the arm making me laugh.

"Alright, alright I get it…man, it's been pretty crazy though."

"Yeah…what was your favorite part of the whole thing though?" He thought for a moment.

"I'd have to say…the people we met. We met so many people that I'd say that was the best part of it all."

"Yeah…we definitely made a lot of friends didn't we?"

"Yep…gave hope to a lot of them too which was awesome." Yeah…we did. After a few minutes a woman came into the room, "Oh, there she is. Hey, den mother." He said getting off the bed and hugging her which she returned.

"Hello Gareth…and this must be Soren." She said turning to me, "Gareth has told me a lot about you and the others. It's nice to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine ma'am." I replied.

"No, honestly it is mine. I've been interested to see who changed Gareth so much. He's much more involved with the other orphans than I've ever seen him. It warms my heart."

"Well, I don't want them ending up like I was." Gareth said, "Even if they don't get adopted it's important to stay positive."

"Yep, that's a mantra that definitely 'you'." I said and he gave a big smile.

"Thank you." She said and I nodded. After everything is said and done we really helped a lot of people out and made a lot of friends…it's nice to make connections.

The third day rolled around with Alice and I sitting outside her house waiting for the mailman to show up; Gareth and Lily had gone to get victory Slurpees for everyone leaving just me and Alice to sit on the lawn waiting for the mail truck to show up.

"…This feels less spectacular then Gareth or Lily's graduation." Alice said.

"Still pretty important though." I said and she smiled.

"If you say so."

"It is, think of it like we just came to the end and we're being rewarded for all out hard work. A milestone to show that everything was worth it."

"A piece of paper with our name on it?"

"No, the fact that we're all here to experience this part of our lives." She started laughing and I felt kind of embarrassed at what I just said.

"You really have a flair for the dramatic you know?"

"I'd rather leave that for Gareth to fill…I'm just slightly more passionate."

"Fair enough." We sat there for a moment to just soak in the peace, "…It really was a long journey wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"A lot of danger and turmoil."

"Yep."

"…But still a great thing."

"Definitely."

"I think out of all of it I was glad just to go someplace and experience something amazing. I enjoyed the journey so much that I was excited to find a place I hadn't been yet."

"You enjoyed the journey more than the destination?"

"Yep. The destination means it ends…but the adventure was always a lot of fun."

"You seemed very calm through the whole thing though."

"Of course. It's intense…but that doesn't make it any less fun right?"

"Right."

"…Hey Soren?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything…I know I'm always a bit crueler than I want to be…but I do appreciate what you've done for us; even trying to protect us in your own stupid way."

"Yeah…sorry for always trying to do things on my own."

"It's annoying for sure…but what you said about letting us face our own problems is true…you knew when to step back at crucial moments…so thanks for believing in us to do what we thought was best."

"Well, I know you guys. I'm positive you'll all do the right thing because I trust you more than anyone." Standing up I pulled her up, "And I also know how strong you guys are, which is why I'm positive-" She stumbled for a bit before standing up straight, "-you'll come out the other side standing tall…both now and when you leave that hospital." Suddenly she moved in and hugged me tightly."

"Thank you…so much." I returned it softly and in the distance I could hear the mail truck approach the house. As we both pulled away from the hug I moved to grab the wrapped diploma from the mail man and turned to see Alice's parents had stepped outside as Gareth and Lily came rushing up. I cleared my throat and stood up straight making Alice giggled.

"Today we are gathered to congratulate Alice on graduating from high school and celebrate the achievements she's attained. We wish her luck in all her future endeavors and hope for a speedy recovery which I can guarantee with my own words." Outstretching both my hands I held the wrapped diploma out to Alice who gripped it and nodded.

"And I'll trust that word no matter what." Everyone cheered with both Lily and Gareth giving big cheers while her mother clapped rapidly and her father gave powerful claps that made me shiver slightly. As everyone celebrated I thought back to the amazing things we did on the adventure and how it really was a lot of fun at the end of everything.

The next day was my graduation; the day I would finish with high school and move on into the next chapter of my life…or at least, that's what the valedictorian said as she gave her speech. For me though, this was just another moment of my life that I was glad to experience; everything I've done up to this point wouldn't mean anything if it weren't for the people I met along the way and the experiences we shared, those shaped who I am and who I will become…maybe high school was a long portion of my life, but it wasn't just a chapter…it was the time spent in which I waited for the bell to ring so I could meet my friends; the place I would think about what we would do together, the time I would study because I didn't want to fall behind them. I sat in the background of school but I didn't mind, those people I met are what I'll take with me wherever I go…but…where will I go after this? After the ceremony was over and I had my diploma in hand I met up with the others along with my mother and she decided to treat us to a dinner to celebrate all of us graduating. I had decided to take a short walk on my own before I would meet up with them which they all understood before heading off with my mother leaving me to wander the now empty graduation hall. I moved up to the podium and looked out over all the empty seat finding myself feeling slightly sad.

"Something got you down?" I looked again to see Mary sitting in the front center chair.

"Just…the future." I replied and she shook her head with a smile.

"Yeah, definitely the biggest mystery for us huh?"

"Yeah…wait aren't you a god?"

"Well…my power is only temporary. When I give it up to the next person I see fit to run my job I'll be as human as you."

"So you don't age for now but you will later?"

"Exactly!" Her powers are confusing…wait…

"Hey, speaking of ageing. What about us? We spent approximately a year traveling and I don't feel older than when I left here last time."

"The same rules apply for you." What?

"What do you mean?"

"I lend you a fraction of my abilities which include slight immortality and you can travel to different realities. Depending on where you go I can even alter your age to be younger or older…although I doubt I would make you older…and maybe only a year or two younger."

"So it's the blending effect?"

"Precisely. But to do that you can't age or the entire thing screw up…only when you give up your traveling abilities do you turn the clock back on."

"Interesting…so I could stay immortal forever?"

"Yep!"

"…Nah, I wouldn't be me after a hundred years…I'd be very cynical."

"Also true." We both laughed, "So would you like to give these powers up?"

"…Not yet…I think my future needs them." She giggled and then as I blinked completely disappeared.

"Then I'll be sure to help you when you're ready." I chuckled for a moment before stepping off stage and towards the door; time to get ready.

Today was the day; the one day I had been waiting for since I first met Alice in this hospital, the day of her release and her chance to walk out of that door on her own two feet. We all stood at the front desk and waited for them to bring Alice out; Gareth and Lily waited calmly but I felt impatient waiting for her to get out and I think I was showing it.

"Hey Soren?" Gareth said.

"Yeah?"

"I think your foot is tapping a hole into the ground."

"And your fingers are going to leave a groove in that arm rest." Lily added and they both laughed as I rolled my eyes. Suddenly I heard a pair of footsteps form down the hallway and stood up as Alice came strolling onto the front lobby in her green shirt, blue jeans, sneakers and her hair put up in its pony tail as she gave us a smirk.

"Thanks for waiting for me." She said and we both rushed over in awe and shock as she giggled and blushed, "It's not that surprising, you've seen me walk before."

"Yeah, but not here!" Gareth said.

"It's like watching a fish grow legs!" Lily said.

"I've been waiting all year for this." I said and she giggled again.

"Well take a picture and maybe it'll last longer. Oh no, it's lasting forever!" She said smugly and we all laughed as we stepped out the hospital door and into the bright afternoon sky. We all talked and made jokes about how her legs could have been replaced by cyborg legs but she quickly dismissed that with a quick tap to her legs and the sound of flesh being hit as which I poked it and she bonked me on the head.

We decided to head for the park and spend time either playing any games that involved leg work, sitting on the grass as Alice flexed her toes between the blades of grass or just jumping and running around as Alice seemed to throw all of her energy into every activity we enjoyed. When the sun began to set I had taken a seat on top of the hill and looked down at the park as everyone moved to sit with me.

"…So this is where we are now." I said.

"Yep, and I don't regret a thing." Gareth replied.

"Yep." Lily added.

"Definitely." Alice said, "But I'm guessing the question now is…what now?" I nodded.

"…Well, I know what I'm going to do." I said standing up and catching everyone's attention, "I want to keep going on adventures and meeting people, helping them and making more bonds everywhere I can…I want to keep traveling across realities." Everyone stood up in surprise.

"Really!?" Alice asked.

"After everything you still want to keep traveling?" Lily added.

"Even if it's by yourself?" Gareth added and I nodded. They all looked at me in surprise before giving me angry looks.

"Um…guys?"

"Idiot!" They yelled in unison.

"You think we're letting you go on your own? You've got more screws loose than I do." Gareth said.

"No way we're letting you go out there without us. I honestly didn't even think you'd agree to leave us that easily, nothing in my notes would support that." Lily said.

"Seriously, if you thought that you were going anywhere without us you are really reaching a new idiot level…in fact." Alice swiftly struck me on the head, "That deserves a pretty hard hit."

"OW! Geez, that hurt." I said.

"Good! Because that pain is going to remind you why you are never leaving us behind again."

"So…you guys want to come with me?" They all smiled before nodding.

"I'm always up to help others out." Lily said.

"Plenty of new people to meet in different realities." Gareth said.

"I'm always up for an adventure…besides, I said I'd stick by you and I mean it…got it?" Alice said.

"What about your career plans, and college?" I asked.

"Eh, I've got plenty of time to become a cop." Gareth said.

"I can apply later when I'm ready." Lily said.

"I don't mind doing this. Archeology will always be waiting." Alice said and I felt myself smile; these were amazing friends I had.

"Then…let's keep going."

Once everything was set in order I stood outside my house waiting for everyone. All of us had to explain that we were going to do some traveling as a group together to our parents and then we had to grab our weapons from their hiding places before meeting up to head out.

"Soren." I turned to see my mother standing at the door way, "Stay safe. Okay?" I nodded before giving her a big hug and hearing a car honk. Turning I saw Alice stepping out of her car dressed in her travelers clothes as Gareth came up on his bike and Lily came rushing up to the house.

"You ready?" Gareth asked and I smirked.

"You bet I am." I replied.

"Then let's get going." Alice said.

"We've got places to be." Lily added.

"Where are you headed?" Mom asked and I thought for a moment before laughing.

"We have no idea." She smiled as we walked off and once we were out of eye shot of anyone I pulled out twin soul and created a tear. It was its usual red swirling mass but I was excited to see what was just beyond it because anywhere it sent us was full of new experiences and people to meet…and we were all ready for it. So we took our first step into the tear and knew a bunch of new adventures were waiting for us just beyond.


	21. Arc 1 Epilogue

Hyrule

Link stood at the ruined entrance to Kakariko village and gave a long sigh as he saw all the work he would need to do to rebuild it back to the thriving town it used to be.

"Worried?" Zelda asked as she approached Link and he shook his head.

"No. I know it's going to be difficult but just because it looks a bit intimidating I can't run away…isn't that was Soren and Alice taught me?"

"Yeah…besides, I'm sure that the next time we meet them we'll want to introduce them to Hyrule in its prime. At least I would like to do that."

"You're not the only one." Link said with a whistle as Gorons and Gerudo started entering the ruined town, "I'd think we'd all like that, for everyone."

Mushroom Kingdom

Mario gave a sigh as he looked over the treaty that he and Bowser were currently in a heated argument about.

"Why would we give you kidnapping rights on our ruler!? This makes no sense!" He said slamming his hand down.

"Look, I'm agreed to leaving the Mushroom kingdom alone and not turning this into an all-out war. But I need some pull in order to keep my rule as king." Bowser said growling.

"Do you need it?" Luigi asked and Bowser shot a small fireball that hit the ground at Luigi's feet.

"My people need to know that they didn't go to war for nothing. If we want to maintain a stable peace then all I'm asking for is a simple kidnapping attempt three…four times out of the year to keep up public image and show that we are still a strong kingdom they put their faith in."

"So this would be a publicity stunt?" Mario asked and he nodded, "…That is insane!"

"Actually, it might be the best course of action." Peach chimed in making everyone turn to her, "Soren, Alice and Gareth all wanted a peaceful resolution to our turmoil without resorting to bloodshed and this might be the best course of action. Our kart races have been a good start but a show of power might help the more extreme forces stay in line behind either Bowser or myself; we don't want rouge forces trying to cause bloodshed…so we shall agree to this."

"Princess, are you serious?" Mario asked and she gave him a very serious look before giving the same to Bowser.

"But understand that under no circumstances are you to hurt our citizens and we are not allowed to kill yours. This shall be a simple powers struggle to keep things in balance…UNDERSTAND?" Both Bowser and Mario nodded before Peach gave a radiant and bubbly smile, "Well then, if that's settled-" She quickly altered and signed the treaty before getting out of her chair and heading for the door, "-let's have some cake to celebrate." As she left both Mario and Bowser gave a lovelorn sigh.

"What a woman."

Final Fantasy

Sarah finished dispatching the last wolf that tried to get into the village and swiftly sheathed her rapier before turning back to her large team of eight who all looked slightly worn from the long battel they just endured.

"That was the last of them so we should be fine." Sarah said and Brokkr collapsed to the ground.

"Ay be to old fer this work." He said.

"I think that's my line." The sage said and Brokkr chuckled as Sarah took a seat on the nearby rock.

"Hmm…" Kent said getting very close to Sarah who giggled nervously before scooching away.

"Something wrong Kent?"

"It's just weird to think that you're the same princess Sarah from Cornelia. She's very regal and elegant." Sarah giggled at this statement.

"As a princess I had to be…but here I can be whoever I want to be…and I want to be someone who helps others and travels wherever she wants to."

"Like those other versions of us?" Sarah nodded.

"They gave it their all until the very end and came out standing tall on the other side…I might have lost my kingdom in the process but I'm glad they worked to save this world from the destruction my world faced. I want to protect it now…anyway I can. Even if it's just as a simple adventurer."

"Well…you look good for an adventurer."

"Well thank you."

"Kent…" Hana said appearing behind him and making him sweat profusely before she grabbed him, "Don't go flirting with other girls when I'm right here!"

"Ow! Stop that Hana! Where did you learn this!?"

"Alice said these were good techniques to use when I don't want you ogling other girls." She replied and Sarah started laughing uproariously before she fell off the rock and into the grass still laughing.

Remnant

Ruby stepped out of her house quietly and came face to face with the remainder of team JNPR; Jaune, Nora and Ren who all smiled at her.

"Are you guys ready? Haven is a long way away." Ruby said.

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't." Ren replied, "Besides," He held up his letter from Soren, "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want us to give up so easily." Ruby nodded as Jaune and Nora pulled out there letters from Soren as well and Ruby pulled out hers.

"…Where do you think they are?" Jaune asked.

"Probably off on another adventure of their own." Nora said, "They were a pretty crazy group."

"I don't think I wanted to hear that from you." Jaune said chuckling.

"Well, I'm sure that we'll see them again when we need them most…but for now we have to keep going." Ruby said making everyone nod, "Not just for them, but for all of our friends." With that they walked off into the woods and towards Haven.

Netherworld

Owen scrambled around the Overlord's palace frantically completing yet another mundane task given to him by Etna; he had been turned into a prinny to atone for his sins and of all the luck he was put back in Laharl's care as his prinny.

"Hey Owen!" Etna called making him turn around.

"What?" He asked bitterly.

"Go clean out the fridge. It has a back-up of expired food that needs to be removed."

"Have you lost your mind!? The last one tried to eat ME!"

"Well I'm trying my hardest to get you back to your body so hurry up and complete these tasks!" She had a point. He had to work extra hard to be able to pay off his sins and return back to his body cleansed…especially for a certain someone, "Speaking of…hey twins, bring her here!" The gemini twins came into the room holding a brown prinny in their hands, "I can't bring them back until they get their quota either so time for work!" Etna slapped the brown prinny on the back and she tumbled down in front of Owen who helped them up.

"Thank you Owen."

"No problem, now let's work hard to get back our bodies…Nina."

"Alright."

"Now I want Nina to fish the sea monster that's taken up residency in the moat." Etna said shocking both of them.

"W-What!?" Nina calmed down before giving a confident look…which isn't much for a prinny, "Alright…I can do it!" Owen moved to instinctively help her but stopped himself before remembering what Soren told him.

"…Alright, you can do it Nina." Owen said and Nina nodded before grabbing a fishing pole and rushing towards the moat, "…Have to let them face their challenges on their own…isn't that right?"

"After the fridge can you help me spar?" Shifty asked with a wicked smile.

"You just want a punching bag!"

?

Jack and Sarah sat at a camp fire as it flickered and sparked. Jack enjoyed the meat skewer Sarah had put together and slowly chewed as the rough meat of the newt almost left his taste buds numb.

"I'm…not much of a survivalist ." Sarah said sadly.

"Obviously." Jack replied spitting the skewer meat out before pulling out a skinned rabbit and setting it up over the fire.

"Oohhh…time for a Jack special!" Sarah said excitedly.

"For the seventh time this week." Jack retorted as Sarah sung to herself making Jack smile, "Whatever…which piece do you want?"

"A thigh." She said and he nodded as he seasoned it and began to spin it, "…Hey, what do you think Soren and the others are doing?"

"Probably on another adventure." Jack replied surprising Sarah.

"Really? Even after everything?"

"Yep, I wouldn't doubt he'd want to keep seeing new places and people…that's just how he is." Sarah sighed.

"Yeah…and kind of how you are."

"…I guess." He replied making her giggle.

"So where are we headed tomorrow?"

"Wherever we end up." Jack said and she nodded as they sat over the fire content with how things were.

Soren

"Um…" I was at a loss for words on where we were. In front of us was a two story house with a green lawn on it and…that was it. The rest of the area was as white as the void between realities.

"…You broke something didn't you?" Alice said.

"No! I can't break reality."

"Then where are we!?"

"I like to think of it like home base." A voice said making us turn back to the house and see Mary standing in front of the door, "Your own little home away from home…well, your new home anyway."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Lily asked.

"This is your home!" Still no clearer, "I've given you your own reality that has only one thing to it; your own house for all of you."

"Seriously!?" Gareth asked and she nodded.

"Every room is personalized to your preferred style and it's outfitted with everything you could need…including various media and gaming consoles and the movies, T.V. shows and games pertaining to such." That's…really impressive.

"That's amazing." I said, "…Any reason why?"

"Well, I said I would help you when you were ready. Think of this like my way of helping as well as a thank you for helping me when I needed it." She outstretched her hand and I saw a key to the house sitting in her palm, "Just know that I'm going to be spending a lot of time here…so get ready to have me as a fifth roommate." I looked down at the key before chuckling and grabbing it; this was going to be a lot of fun.

…

…

…

…

?

"Um…commander?"

"Yes?"

"Owen...his world has disappeared."

"What!?"

"Well…it seemed to be taken away in a sudden moment…he must have abandoned it."

"…So he gave up? How!?"

"We're not sure…but there was a sudden blast of travel energy a few days ago before it went quiet…wait…another energy spike showed up."

"Trace it."

"...It's a traveler's haven…only a level one though."

"Any familiar signatures?"

"Yes…it's those four that have been showing up everywhere."

"…Keep tabs on them."

"Yes ma'am."

"Looks like things are getting a bit more interesting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Intret here. I'd like to thank the people who have read my story. Even if you only glanced at pieces of it I appreciate that you gave it a chance even if it was just a small one. I'd like to give a thanks to people who have favorited my stories on DeviantArt, bookmarked me on ArchiveofourOwn and Reviewed on Fanfiction. People such as (But not limited to):
> 
> Fanfiction
> 
> TheSuperMario
> 
> zeldawolffang
> 
> Karismic
> 
> Bowser Jr. Descendant
> 
> Macheddy
> 
> ArchiveofourOwn
> 
> TheOverlord
> 
> DeviantArt
> 
> Every single person who gave me a favorite.
> 
> Sorry if I didn't mention you but know that I want to thank every single person who even knows about my stories and if you ever shared my story with someone I'm giving you an extra big thanks. It really means a lot to me to have as many people read what I've created.
> 
> This is not the end of the adventure though; just a small break before we get back into another whirlwind adventure. In the mean time keep an eye on my DeviantArt page for an update on a big project I've been working on for a few months. Until then I'll be seeing you later!
> 
> And again...THANK YOU for being a part of this adventure and I hope you'll stick around to see where our travelers go from here.


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